May 19, (THEWILL) – Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, has been involved in a helicopter accident while travelling in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday.
State media including the IRNA, said the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azberbaijan Governor, Malik Rahmati, and Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem, the imam of Tabriz, were aboard the helicopter which suffered a “hard landing”.
The accident was reported near the city of Jolfa, on the country’s border with Azerbaijan.
Two other helicopters travelling in the convoy landed safely, municipal official, Ali Zakari, told the media.
Meanwhile, Iran’s interior ministry confirmed the helicopter had a “hard landing” and said it was awaiting further details.
Drones and rescue teams have been sent to the site, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent said. Harsh fog and difficult weather conditions are hampering rescue operations in the area, which will take “some time”, state media added.
Raisi, 63, had been in Azerbaijan early on Sunday, to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev.
