The abrupt crashing of the helicopter on Sunday night sparked mass search and rescue operations in order to find the chopper and the officials on board, which include the president and foreign minister.
A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other top officials crashed in the northwestern region of the country on Sunday night. The abrupt crashing of the helicopter sparked mass search and rescue operations in order to find the chopper and the people on board.
As per the latest update, the chopper has been located. Iran's Tasnim news Agency citied the head of Red Crescent and stated that the wreckage related to the crash has been found.
Rescue officials and the head of the Iranian Red Crescent society have stated that there is no sign of life at the crash site.
Officials further added that the helicopter crashed and burnt on site, making it impossible to have any survivors. Hence, based on this, President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials on board have been presumed death.
Despite officials saying there is no sign of life. an official statement from the government regarding the top leaders' deaths are awaited.
The exact reason behind the helicopter crash is yet to be ascertained, however, experts have stated that it was likely to be bad weather and heavy fog.
Earlier today, Turkish drones have spotted a "Source of heat" in the mountainous regions of Iran and is sharing intel with Iranian forces.
As per the latest updates, Turkey has deployed drones to help Iranian forces find the missing helicopter. These drones have spotted a "source of heat" in the northwest region. Citing the head of Red Crescent in Iran's East Azerbaijan region, local news have stated that rescue teams are heading towards the coordinates shared by the Turkish drone.
This "source of heat" was detected in an area called that Tavil. Amid bad weather, the rescue operations have been impacted with cloud, mist and fog hampering the efforts of the teams on ground. The bad weather has also impacted the the visuals sent in by drones.
As per state-run IRNA News, the helicopter was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, other officials and bodyguards. The helicopter crashed amid Raisi's return from the East Azerbaijan region.
Initially it had been reported that the helicopter had made an emergency landing due to bad weather. Local news had stated that the helicopter landed between the cities Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. However, later it was reported that the chopper likely crashed due to bad weather.
The United States, Italy and the European Union are closely monitoring the situation. European Union has also decided to offer Iran intel regarding the location and whereabouts of the President's helicopter.
Meanwhile, Russia has dispatched planes and helicopters aide Iran's rescue efforts. The order was passed by President Vladimir Putin. Along with this, 50 professional mountain rescue personnel have also been deployed.
Ebrahim Raisi is seen as the ultimate successor to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In case the rescue operations determine the death of the President, the first vice president Mohammed Mokhber would be elevated to the level of President.