Iranian President, Foreign Minister Killed In Helicopter Crash
- By RFE/RL and
- RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Rescuers work to recover bodies at the site where a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in a fog-shrouded mountainous area in the country's northwest on May 20. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also among those killed, along with seven others.
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Rescuers recover bodies at the site where a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in a fog-shrouded mountainous area of northwest Iran on May 20.
Raisi, 63, and his companions, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, have been found dead at the site of the crash.
Raisi, 63, and his companions, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, have been found dead at the site of the crash.
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A video grab shows rescuers recovering bodies at the crash site.
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Iran's Red Crescent Society has released this picture, which appears to show pieces of the helicopter after it crashed. Iranian state television said on May 20 that the helicopter had fallen foul of poor weather conditions.
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Search-and-rescue teams, aided by several foreign governments, had been frantically searching for the helicopter after it went down in bad weather in a mountainous area of the country late on May 19.
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The rescue operations were hampered by the inclement conditions.
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Raisi had traveled to eastern Azerbaijan on May 19 to participate in the opening of a dam. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also attended the ceremony.
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Raisi and Aliyev during the inauguration of the Qiz Qalasi dam at the Iranian-Azerbaijani border on May 19.
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The weather at the Qiz Qalasi dam could be seen taking a turn for the worse after the inauguration ceremony on May 19.
Raisi's helicopter was on its way to the city of Tabriz when it went down near the city of Jolfa in what state television said was a "hard landing." Several news outlets later quoted government sources as saying the helicopter crashed as it crossed a mountainous and forested area.
Raisi's helicopter was on its way to the city of Tabriz when it went down near the city of Jolfa in what state television said was a "hard landing." Several news outlets later quoted government sources as saying the helicopter crashed as it crossed a mountainous and forested area.
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The empty chair of Raisi in the Iranian cabinet after confirmation of his death in a helicopter crash.
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Raisi was elected president in 2021 and has since tightened many restrictions on Iranians through enforcement of morality laws and a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests spurred by the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code on head scarves.
