The helicopter of the Iranian president crashed. Details
The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi "hard landed" near the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Bad weather conditions and darkness made search and rescue operations difficult. Turkey sent a night vision helicopter and climbers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan reacted. Event details.
On Sunday, May 19, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a "hard landing" near the border of Azerbaijan. This was reported first by the Iranian mass media, including the state news agency IRNA. At the time of publication, there were no reports of casualties or injuries.
It is noted that the accident happened in a mountainous area near the village of Uzi in the East Azerbaijan province in the north-west of Iran. Raisi was returning from the border after participating in the opening ceremony of the dam on the Araks River with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilhom Aliyev. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country Husayn Amir Abdullahiyyan was also on the plane.
According to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ahmed Vahidi, the incident was caused by bad weather and fog.
"Different rescue teams (about 40) are being sent to the area, but due to fog and bad weather, it may take some time to reach the scene. The situation is under control. We have contacted the crew. However, given the strong fog and terrain, we hope that rescue teams will reach the scene earlier and provide us with additional information," he said.
Iran's Vice President Mohsin Mansouri said that after the helicopter landed hard, two people accompanying the president came into contact several times.
At the same time, the Vice President of Iran noted that "it does not seem like a serious accident."
"The delegation flew in three helicopters, but communication was lost between the helicopter carrying the president and the other two helicopters. The other two helicopters started searching for the missing helicopter. One of the helicopter's passengers and its crew were contacted, indicating that the level of the disaster was not too serious. Rescue teams of the Red Crescent and the army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps were immediately dispatched to the scene," he said.
According to media reports, it was dark in the area where the helicopter crashed and it was also raining, which caused mud that made it difficult for vehicles and people to pass. The search for the plane continues.
Iran has many helicopters, but international sanctions make it difficult to repair and maintain them. The air force of the country was formed mainly before the 1979 Islamic revolution, BBC writes.
The attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan announced that it "received with deep concern the news about the emergency landing of the helicopter carrying the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi."
The ministry said it was closely monitoring the fate of the helicopter's passengers, including high-ranking Iranian officials.
"We hope that all passengers will be found safe and sound soon. The Uzbek side expresses its full readiness to provide all assistance to our Iranian friends as soon as it becomes necessary," the report said.
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