Tehran, May 20, 2024, The Europe Today: Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pir-Hossein Kolivand, announced early Monday that no survivors have been found at the site of the helicopter crash involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in northwest Iran.
“No trace of survivors has been seen after the discovery of the site of the crashed helicopter,” Kolivand stated in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The crash site was located after hours of extensive search operations in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan province. The helicopter, carrying President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other senior officials, crashed on Sunday afternoon in the Varzaqan region. The delegation was returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran’s border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Rescue efforts had been hampered by adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain, but the IRCS confirmed the location of the wreckage earlier in the day. The tragic incident has drawn expressions of concern and offers of assistance from international leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has pledged support for the ongoing recovery operations.
