There are growing concerns over the safety of Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, after a helicopter crash on Sunday, May 19.
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the helicopter carrying President Raisi was involved in an incident while he was visiting neighbouring Azerbaijan.
“Some of the president’s companions on this helicopter were able to communicate with Central Headquarters, raising hopes that the incident could have ended without casualties,” it added.
It is unclear what the exact status is of Raisi’s helicopter.
“Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were also reportedly on the helicopter with the president,” Tasnim reported.
Rescue team were headed to the area to locate him and other officials, state media in the Islamic republic reported, adding that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian may also have been aboard the aircraft.
“The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site,” state TV said in an on-screen news alert.
The accident happened in the mountainous forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Raisi, 63, was visiting the province Sunday where he inaugurated a dam project together with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliev, on the border between the two countries.
His convoy included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely,” according to Tasnim news agency.
IRNA said the foreign minister and local officials were travelling in the same helicopter as Raisi.
