Iranian Presidential Chief of Staff Esmaili recounts Raisi's helicopter crash

President Raisi had attended a dam inauguration ceremony on the Iran-Azerbaijan border the previous day and lost his life in a helicopter crash on his way back.

Speaking to the Iranian state channel IRIB, Esmaili stated that he was in one of the three helicopters carrying Iranian officials, and that President Raisi and his entourage were traveling in another helicopter.

Esmaili reported that the weather was clear at the beginning of the flight and that they were heading toward Tabriz from the lower side of the dam.

Stating that they had been traveling for about half an hour in the area adjacent to the Songun Copper Mine, Esmaili noted that a cloud cluster then formed in the valley adjacent to the area.

Esmaili mentioned that the valley floor was foggy but the weather was quite clear, stating, "There were clouds in a small area of this point, but in terms of flight altitude, we were at the same level as these clouds, or even slightly lower."

Explaining that Mustafavi, the commander of the helicopter fleet and the pilot of the helicopter carrying Raisi, instructed the other helicopters to gain altitude and continue above the clouds, Esmaili noted the following:

"The helicopters rose above the clouds. Ours was the number 3 helicopter. The helicopter in the middle was carrying the President. There was another helicopter in front. Our pilot realized 30 seconds later that the main helicopter (carrying Raisi) was not next to us. Conditions were extremely normal and ordinary, and there was no difficult situation. Even in some airline flights, there are vibrations, but everything was normal on this route and the clouds disappeared instantly. Later, we were in an atmosphere where there were no clouds beneath us; we could see the ridge line (of the mountains) under our feet, and the Songun Copper Mine was right nearby."

Explaining that the pilot of the helicopter he was in turned back to search for the helicopter carrying the President, Esmaili said, "I asked the co-pilot, 'Why are you turning back?' He said, 'We assume one of the helicopters did not arrive and made an emergency landing because no matter how much we call, our radio communication is cut off and there is no response.' The pilot said, 'We had radio communication 1 minute and 30 seconds ago.'"

Esmaili stated that the helicopter circled the area a few times at the point where it turned back, but they could not see below well due to the clouds, saying, "It was not possible for them to go under the cloud. After a few turns, we landed near the Songun mine."

Noting that he contacted Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the Friday Prayer Imam of Tabriz who was in the same helicopter as Raisi, and asked where they were, Esmaili continued:

"He said he was under the trees. When I asked if the other friends were okay, I received the answer, 'I don't see anyone and I am alone, I don't understand what happened, there is no one around me.' He provided information that he was in a wooded area. It was immediately understood that the President's helicopter had crashed, and we took action to reach the crash site as soon as possible and initiate rescue operations. There were suitable vehicles, necessary medical personnel, and ambulances at the copper mine. We took the medical personnel with us and went to the area where we thought the crash had occurred."

Stating that he spoke with Ale-Hashem about three or four times, Esmaili said, "Our other colleagues also communicated with him frequently until 3-4 hours after the crash; Mr. Ali Hashem answered the calls, but his answers showed that he was not well and was only alive."

Stating that they later learned that the other passengers in the helicopter had "died instantly," Esmaili said, "The condition of the bodies showed that they were martyred immediately after the crash."

THE HELICOPTER CRASH AND ITS AFTERMATH

President Raisi attended a dam inauguration ceremony on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on May 19. Raisi had a helicopter crash on his return with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and some officials.

Upon Iran's request, Turkey assigned an Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for search and rescue operations. The coordinates of the helicopter wreckage detected by the Akinci UAV were shared with Iranian authorities.

Iranian teams reaching the detected point determined that there were no survivors from the crash.

After it was confirmed that Raisi had lost his life, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president.

It was announced that the presidential election, which must be held within a maximum of 50 days according to the Iranian Constitution, will be held on June 28.

In Iran, presidents are elected by the public from among candidates approved by the Guardian Council of the Constitution.

News Source: AA