Tehran: Iranian official said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash”.
“We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
IRNA reported that said that the rescue and relief teams had been dispatched to the crash site and they will reach the probable coordinates of President Raisi’s helicopter crash within half an hour.
It earlier reported that bad weather was complicating rescue efforts.
“The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site,” state TV said in an on-screen news alert.
State TV stopped all its regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country and, in a corner of the screen, live coverage of rescue teams searching the mountainous area on foot in heavy fog.
Earlier, Iran’s interior minister confirmed one of the helicopters in president’s convoy had a rough landing.
According to some local media, some local officials were also travelling in the same helicopter as Raisi.
Raisi was visiting East Azerbaijan province on Sunday where he inaugurated a dam project in the company of his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the border between the two countries.
After bidding a friendly farewell to his Iranian counterpart, Aliyev said that “our prayers are with Raisi and the delegation”, in response to the reports of helicopter crash.
