Major foreign media reported on the 20th (local time) that Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, who was involved in a helicopter crash, is presumed dead.
An Iranian official told foreign media, "The helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed and was completely engulfed in flames," adding, "Unfortunately, it is feared that President Raisi has died." Earlier, Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent, told AFP that "the helicopter has been found. We are currently moving towards the helicopter," and "the situation is not good."
Iranian state TV reported that there were no signs of life at the crash site. It is known that a total of nine people were on board the helicopter, including President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Malek Rahmati, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province, Imam Ali Alehashem of Tabriz city, as well as the pilot, bodyguards, and security officials.
President Raisi was involved in the accident while returning to Tabriz after attending the inauguration ceremony of the Giz Galasi Dam in the northwestern East Azerbaijan Province together with Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, the previous day. According to Iranian authorities, the helicopter crashed in the Dizmar mountainous area near Varzeghan in central East Azerbaijan Province while flying in bad weather conditions including rain and fog.
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