A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with an accident on Sunday in East Azerbaijan province, state TV reported.
The incident occurred near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, approximately 600 kilometers northwest of Tehran
President Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan, and other officials, was traveling in the helicopter.
State media provided conflicting reports about the incident. While some sources described the event as a "hard landing," a local government official referred to it as a "crash" but acknowledged not having reached the site yet.
Rescue teams are en route, though their efforts are being hindered by poor weather conditions, including heavy rain, fog, and wind. The area is described as a forested region.
President Raisi was in the province to inaugurate a dam on the Aras River with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. This visit comes despite recent tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan, exacerbated by a 2023 gun attack on Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran and Azerbaijan's diplomatic ties with Israel.
According to IRNA news agency, the helicopter incident involved three helicopters in total. Two landed safely, while the third, carrying President Raisi, faced difficulties. Some passengers from the troubled helicopter managed to make contact with authorities. However, there is no immediate information on President Raisi's condition.
Ali Zakari, Deputy Governor for Development in East Azerbaijan, stated that he had not yet arrived at the accident site and did not have detailed information. Iran's Red Crescent has dispatched rescue teams to the location as efforts to reach the crash site continue.
Interior minister confirms hard landing of helicopter
On the other hand, Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has confirmed to the national TV that one of the copters of the president's convoy had a hard landing.
"Various rescue groups are moving towards the site, but due to the fog and bad weather, it may take time to reach the area. The work is under control," Vahidi said.
"There have been contacts with [the president's] companions, but given that the area is mountainous and it is difficult to establish contacts, we hope that the rescue teams will reach the site of the incident sooner and give us more information," the interior minister added.
Local Iranian media have reported that it is heavily raining in the area in Varzaghan District and it is hard for the rescue and search teams to walk in the dense fog.
President Zardari , PM Shehbaz extend prayers
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed their deep concern and extended prayers for the safety of Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian following a helicopter incident.
President Zardari took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to share his concern. “Deeply concerned to hear news about the helicopter incident carrying the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian & others. My heartfelt prayers & good wishes for the well-being & safety of President Raisi so that he may continue to serve the Iranian nation,” he wrote.
Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his distress over the incident on X. “Heard the distressing news from Iran regarding President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter. Waiting with great anxiety for good news that all is well,” he posted.
“Our prayers and best wishes are with Hon. President Raisi and the entire Iranian nation,” he added.
