Wreckage of helicopter carrying Iran’s president located as rescue efforts continue

ISTANBUL

The Iranian Red Crescent Society announced early Monday that they had found the location of the wreckage of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter after it was detected by a Turkish Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Speaking to local media, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said that two kilometers are left to reach the area where the wreckage is located.

Iran's official news agency IRNA also confirmed the finding.

The news was posted on IRNA's Telegram account.

"The location of the President's helicopter has been found. Search and rescue teams approached the place where the accident occurred," the agency said.

After the helicopter carrying Raisi crashed, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense assigned an Akinci UAV and a Cougar type helicopter with night vision capabilities to participate in search activities.

President Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony for a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on Sunday by helicopter.

Iranian state television reported that the accident occurred when Raisi's helicopter made a hard landing while returning from the region.

Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Malik Rahmeti, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province were also on board the helicopter.

Search and rescue teams say that work continues with difficulty due to adverse weather conditions.