Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
WASHINGTON DC, 21st May. Iran State media on Monday confirmed that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were killed in a tragic helicopter crash near the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
According to media reports the helicopter carrying President Raisi, FM Abdollahian along with other officials made a “hard landing” on Sunday afternoon.
Iran rescue teams rushed to the spot but they could not locate the chopper due to dense fog and difficult weather conditions, news media reported.
The plane was recovered in the early hours on Monday and there were no signs of life at the crash site, media added.
According to the Iranian media, the helicopter crashed close to a copper mine called Sungun located between Jolfa and Varzaghan in the East Azerbaijan province, 70 km away from the city of Tabriz.
Governor of East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rahmati and Friday prayers leader of Tabriz Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem were also aboard the helicopter.
Iran’s vice-president Mohammad Mokhbe will run the affairs of the country until an election for a new president takes place after Raisi’s death.
According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, the vice-president is tasked to run the country in case “a president is incapable of executing his duties due to illness, death or impeachment and removal by Parliament.”
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