Iranian President Raisi Killed In A Helicopter Crash
Photo Credit: AFP News via Getty Images via NPR
On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the East Azerbaijan province. The Bell 212 Twin Huey helicopter that Iran purchased in the 2000s was also carrying Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, a Revolutionary Guard official, a senior cleric from Tabriz, and three crew members.
According to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), all eight onboard were killed in the crash. The helicopter was part of a convoy of three returning from northwestern Iran after participating in the inauguration of the Qiz-Qalasi Dam dam, an element of a joint hydroelectric power project with Azerbaijan on the Aras River. Raisi was joined at the inauguration by Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan.
The crash occurred in a remote, mountainous area about 58 kilometres south of the Qiz-Qalasi Dam and 2 kilometres south-west of the village of Uzi at around 1:00 PM local time, according to Iranian officials and photographs published by state media. But it was not until 5 hours after the crash that Iranian state TV reported that the helicopter had experienced a “hard landing” while flying to Tabriz amidst bad weather. While the other helicopters in the convoy managed to land safely, only the President’s Bell 212 went down. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi later confirmed President Raisi’s aircraft was “forced to make a hard landing due to bad weather conditions and fog in the area” in a state press release.
Over 40 rescue teams from the Iranian Red Crescent and drone units from Turkey were deployed to find the crash site. Rugged terrain along with poor weather made the search and rescue operations difficult. Rescuers managed to locate the wreckage, but they found no survivors.
Iranian State TV aired footage of the crash site, in which only the blue-and-white tail of a helicopter could be identified. They also shared a video depicting rescuers transporting a body wrapped in a blanket on a stretcher. Mohammad Nami, head of Iran’s crisis management agency, stated that all bodies were readily identifiable without “the need for DNA testing.”
Iranian authorities did not provide a direct cause of the crash. However, Mohammad Javad Zarif, former Iranian foreign minister, said that “one of the factors contributing to yesterday's tragedy is the United States, due to its sanctions preventing Iran from acquiring crucial aviation components.”
The 63-year-old Raisi, known for his hardline politics and deep ties to Iran's judiciary and religious elite, was seen as a key figure in the country's political landscape and a potential successor to the 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Supreme Leader Khamenei swiftly urged the nation to remain calm and announced five days of public mourning. A presidential election is expected to be held on June 28 to elect Raisi’s successor. Until then, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed the interim president.