Iranian state media reported on Monday that no survivors were found at the crash site of the helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. The helicopter, discovered after hours of searching through mountainous terrain amid inclement weather, was almost entirely destroyed according to drone footage.
The helicopter crashed on Sunday in Jolfa, a mountainous northwestern region of the country, as Raisi and his delegation were returning from a visit to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan. With Raisi’s death, the next in the line of succession would be First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, pending approval by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pir-Hossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, stated that the search operation involved as many as 40 ground teams due to adverse weather conditions making aerial searches impossible, IRNA reported.
A total of nine people were aboard the helicopter, including Raisi, Abdollahian, three Iranian officials, an imam, and members of the flight and security teams, CNN reported, citing Iranian media. Among the officials was Malek Rahmati, Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province.
Turkey’s Assistance: Late Sunday night, Turkey announced it would send night-vision search and rescue helicopters, drones, six vehicles, and 32 mountaineering search and rescue personnel to assist Iran.
Technological Aid: A Turkish ‘Akinci’ drone identified a heat source suspected to be the helicopter wreckage, as reported by The Telegraph. A burning spot was detected, and rescue forces were directed to the area known as ‘Tavil.’ The coordinates from the Turkish drone were shared with Iranian authorities.
Russian Support: Russia plans to send special aircraft and 50 professional mountain rescuers to aid in the operation. Two specialized Russian helicopters will be deployed from Armenia, following orders from President Vladimir Putin, IRNA reported.
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