Helicopter in Iranian President Raisi's convoy crashes

ISTANBUL

One of the helicopters in Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's convoy crashed on Sunday.

Emergency rescue teams have reportedly arrived at the incident site in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. However, the operation is expected to be time-consuming due to adverse weather conditions, the state news agency IRNA reported.

A helicopter in the convoy of President Ebrahim Raisi, who was attending the inauguration of a dam on the border along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, has crashed, Iranian state television reported.

The semi-official Tasnim News Agency claimed that the helicopter that crashed was carrying Raisi.

Fars News Agency also reported that due to heavy fog, the helicopter carrying Raisi was forced to make an emergency landing, and Raisi traveled to Tabriz by road.

State television also reported that the helicopter carrying Raisi made a hard landing and that first aid teams were dispatched to the crash site.

Earlier, the East Azerbaijan Governorship of Iran said it cannot yet provide information on possible fatalities or injuries related to "helicopter crash carrying President Raisi."

It was reported that there were three helicopters in Raisi's convoy.

Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, Tabriz's Friday Prayer Imam, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were also reportedly on the helicopter with the president.