The wreckage of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s plane has been discovered, but there is no evidence of him since he vanished on Sunday while returning from a visit to Azerbaijan.
“The Iranian president, foreign minister, and other members onboard the ill-fated helicopter have been killed” in the accident, according to a report from Mehr News Agency.
Raisi’s terrible demise was not formally confirmed by Tehran; nonetheless, medical personnel reported finding “no signs” of life at the accident scene.
Iran’s Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, informed the media that a large search effort was under way and that the situation was dire.
According to early accounts, on Monday morning, rescuers in East Azerbaijan province reportedly saw the downed helicopter from a distance of 1.25 kilometres.
When the wreckage was discovered, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, was also in convoy with Raisi. Their lives were in danger, according to an unidentified official, after the collision, which happened when they were travelling back from a visit to Iran’s northwest border with Azerbaijan.
Iranian media said that a Turkish drone had located a source, which it believed to be the wreckage of the helicopter, and had given Tehran authorities the location.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, reassured the country that state affairs would not be disrupted despite the tragic circumstances.
According to the first reports, poor weather was a contributing factor in the disaster, making rescue operations more difficult. Tehran ordered that the elite Revolutionary Guards and all other available resources—including forces—be used for search and rescue efforts.
Videos that have gone viral show rescue workers using a GPS gadget to search a pitch-black, blizzard-affected mountaintop.
Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and other surrounding countries conveyed their worries and extended support.
Following a request from Iranian officials, Turkey dispatched a drone, a helicopter, cars, and a rescue crew; US President Joe Biden was also briefed on the accident.
In an effort to locate the missing people, the European Union provided emergency satellite mapping equipment.
