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Search teams locate crash site of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi

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Rescuers are searching in the dark for a helicopter that crashed while carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in northern Iran on Sunday, according to Iranian officials. Raisi’s condition and that of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who was also on board, remain unknown as overnight temperatures drop in the mountainous area.

The aircraft came down in the early afternoon in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, sparking a massive search effort, including military drones and dozens of rescue teams, state media reported.

Officials have said they were able to make contact with some of the passengers aboard the helicopter and Turkish drone has located a heat source. But despite hours of searching, emergency crews have not been able to reach the crash site amid reported fog and extreme cold.Raisi’s official Instagram account and state television have urged Iranians to pray for the president and his entourage.

 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, the country’s top leader, echoed in the call in a video statement, saying, “Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants. … People of Iran, do not worry. There will be no disruption in the work of the country.”

 

Poor weather complicates search for helicopter

The accident occurred as Raisi and Amir Abdollahian were returning from a ceremony for an opening of a dam on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, IRNA reported. Seven other people were also in the helicopter, according to the IRGC-run media outlet Sepah, including a local imam, the provincial governor, security staff and the helicopter’s crew.

 

Two other helicopters in the same convoy of dignitaries arrived at their destinations safely, officials said.

 

Iranian authorities have identified a 2-kilometer radius for the crash site and believe the accident was “not severe” after speaking with two people who were traveling on the downed helicopter, Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri told Iranian semi-official FARS news.

“Three helicopters were on this route, but the helicopter carrying the President lost contact with the other two. They began searching and established contact with one of the helicopter’s occupants and the flight crew, indicating the incident was not severe. The Red Crescent, FRAJA, Army, and IRGC rescue teams have arrived and divided tasks,” he said.The crash site is believed to be somewhere in the Dizmar Forest area between the villages of Ozi and Pir Davood, according to IRNA, which reported that residents in the northern Varzeqan region said they heard noises from the area.

 

Poor weather and low visibility are complicating rescue efforts in the rural area. Iranian Minister of Health, Bahram Eynollahi, has warned that the crash site is very foggy, making it difficult for rescuers to search. “We have set up treatment facilities. We are now in the area and all rescue forces are busy searching,” Eynollahi said on state TV Sunday. “We have deployed all medical facilities, including emergency medicine, surgery and ambulance.”

 

A deployment of helicopters in the area has already failed due to the weather, Iranian military officials said.

 

“The helicopters of the 6th combat base of Tabriz Air Force arrived in the Varzeqan area according to the order to carry out relief operations,” the Commander of Iran’s 6th Air Force Base said. “These helicopters, along with the rescue team, were sent to the helicopter accident area of the president’s convoy from the early hours. Unfortunately, the operation failed due to unfavorable weather conditions.”Iraq and Azerbaijan have offered assistance to Iran in the ongoing search operation. In response to requests from Iranian authorities, the European Union said it was activating its satellite mapping service, and Turkey said it would send a night-vision search and rescue helicopter, plus 32 mountaineer search and rescue personnel.

 

Russia has also pledged to send two planes with 50 professional mountain rescuers to help reach the crash site on Monday, IRNA reported.

 

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident, according to the White House. (CNN)

The post Search teams locate crash site of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi appeared first on DailyNews.

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