Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter carrier crashed in East Azerbaijan

Sunday, May 20, 2004

According to Iranian media reports, a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday afternoon, May 20, and relief forces have launched a large-scale operation to find the helicopter.

The crashed helicopter was among the convoy of three helicopters carrying the Islamic Republic officials who accompanied Raisi on his one-day trip to East Azerbaijan province.

The President of the Islamic Republic arrived in Tabriz on Sunday morning and from there he went to Khodafarin at the border point of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Raisi and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the “Qizqala Si Dam”, a joint project between the two countries.

According to ISNA news agency, a helicopter carrying Islamic Republic officials on the way back from the dam’s inauguration site crashed in the “Dizmar Forest” located in the public area between Varzaghan and Jolfa in East Azerbaijan province. Two other helicopters, including some ministers and government officials, have arrived safely.

After news of the crash, it was announced that Red Crescent relief forces and military and law enforcement auxiliaries had launched a large-scale operation to find the helicopter. Babak Mahmoudi, head of the Red Crescent Society relief and rescue organization, announced the deployment of relief and search teams to the site. But Ahmad Vahidi, the Islamic Republic’s interior minister, told IRIB about 17:00 a.m. that aid groups had been dispatched to the area, but given the “misty and inappropriate area” it might take time to reach the helicopter.

Vahidi claimed the helicopter had been “forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and the situation in the area.” He added that “they have been in contact with the president’s entourage, but because the region is complex, some communication is difficult,” and that they are waiting for aid teams to reach the “incident zone and helicopter summit” and give information.

Reports say that “extreme weather conditions” and “the region’s foggy climate” have made efforts for search and relief difficult relief.

The ISNA news agency also noted in a report that “due to the half-way contacts, some of the companions are injured,” but there is no information on whether anyone has been killed.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati, Seyyed Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, Tabriz Friday Imam, and several others were also carrying Raisi on the helicopter, Tasnim news agency reported.