What you need to know:
- A Turkish drone identified a heat source suspected to be the helicopter’s wreckage early on Monday and shared the coordinates with Iranian authorities, according to Anadolu news agency on X.
- In the early hours of Monday, rescue teams wearing bright jackets and head torches were seen huddled around a GPS device, navigating a pitch-black mountainside in a blizzard.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian are presumed dead after Iranian media reported that “no survivors” were found at the helicopter crash site carrying the two officials and seven others.
The helicopter, carrying President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian along with other senior officials, crashed in a steep, wooded hillside in East Azerbaijan province. Drone footage from the Red Crescent, shown on state media FARS News Agency, revealed little left of the helicopter except for a blue and white tail.
Although there has been no official announcement of their deaths, Reuters cited an unnamed Iranian official stating that all passengers are feared dead. “President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the official told Reuters.
Rescue teams faced blizzards and challenging terrain overnight to reach the wreckage early Monday. The head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV, “We can see the wreckage and the situation does not look good. With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers.”
President Raisi, 63, who was elected in 2021, had enforced stricter morality laws, led a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests, and aggressively pursued nuclear negotiations with world powers. In response to the crash, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reassured Iranians that state affairs would continue without disruption.
A Turkish drone identified a heat source suspected to be the helicopter’s wreckage early on Monday and shared the coordinates with Iranian authorities, according to Anadolu news agency on X. State news agency IRNA confirmed Raisi was traveling in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.
Iran’s army chief of staff has ordered all army and Revolutionary Guards resources to aid in search and rescue operations. Earlier, national broadcaster halted regular programming to broadcast prayers for Raisi across the country. In the early hours of Monday, rescue teams wearing bright jackets and head torches were seen huddled around a GPS device, navigating a pitch-black mountainside in a blizzard.
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