Breaking News: Helicopter wreckage found: Iranian President Raisi has died

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in mountainous terrain in East Azerbaijan province due to difficult weather conditions.

Iranian state television announced that there were no signs of life at the wreckage site of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, which was located following detections by an Akıncı UAV.

RAISI HAS DIED

Iranian officials speaking to Reuters announced that Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who were on board the helicopter, lost their lives in the crash.

Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri announced that all 8 other people in the crash also died.

ONLY THE TAIL OF THE HELICOPTER REMAINS

The first images from the helicopter wreckage have arrived. In the photos, it can be seen that the helicopter was completely burned and only its tail remains.

FIRST STATEMENT FROM KHAMENEI

In a statement, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, "The Iranian people should not worry, there will be no disruption in the country's affairs."

LAST IMAGE OF THE HELICOPTER BEFORE IT CRASHED

The last photo of Raisi taken before he died has been released.

WHAT HAPPENED?

President Raisi had attended the opening ceremony of a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border by helicopter yesterday.

Iranian state television had announced that the accident occurred when Raisi's helicopter made a hard landing while returning from the region; it was also announced that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Tabriz Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Ali Hashem were on board the helicopter.

Search and rescue teams reported that operations were being carried out with difficulty due to adverse weather conditions, and Iran requested an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Turkey to conduct aerial search operations.

The Akıncı UAV, which was assigned by Turkey to search activities regarding the helicopter crash involving Iranian President Raisi and some officials, detected a heat source thought to be the wreckage of the helicopter and shared its coordinates with Iranian authorities.

News Source: AA