Iranian President Raisi killed in helicopter crash
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More news: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and its Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have been confirmed dead following the crash of a helicopter in the country's East Azerbaijan province, multiple media outlets have reported.
A senior Iranian officer speaking anonymously told Reuters all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash.
Semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr said East Azerbaijan province governor Malek Rahmati and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Iranian supreme leader to the province, were also on the helicopter.
The officials were returning from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan. The helicopter was caught in heavy fog and icy weather over mountainous terrain.
'No sign of life' at crash site of helicopter carrying Iran's President: state media
More news: Iranian state television has reported there is ‘no sign of life’ at the crash site of the helicopter that was carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, according to Associated Press.
However, rescuers were yet to reach the site, according to the reports.
Rescuers located the helicopter approximately 2 kilometres from where the hard landing was thought to have taken place.
Helicopter carrying Iran's President Raisi crashes, search underway
The news: A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has crashed in heavy fog over mountainous terrain, while returning from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan.
The context: Iranian state media said that the helicopter experienced a “hard landing” and that rescuers are still trying to reach the crash site but are facing difficult weather conditions.
Ahmad Alirezabeigi, Iranian MP for the city of Tabriz, told reporters in Tehran that rescue workers are yet to find the location of the helicopter, adding that the other two helicopters in the convoy landed safely.
An Iranian official told Reuters that "We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning," and the lives of Raisi and Amirabdollahian are "at risk following the helicopter crash."
The sources: Reuters, BBC, Associated Press, Reuters, Mehr
