by Tzvi Joffre
Foggy weather and huge boulders complicated rescue efforts for the president's helicopter, according to Iranian reports.
 |
The Islamic regime in Iran expressed concern for the lives of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian after the helicopter they were traveling in suffered a "hard landing" on Sunday afternoon.
Details about the incident remained unclear as of Sunday afternoon, although reports indicated the accident involved the president's helicopter and foggy weather. As night fell, the searches became even more difficult. According to the Iranian IRNA news agency, the helicopter crashed in a forest area between the villages of PirDavood and Uzi in northwestern Iran.
According to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, emergency services were conducting searches to try and find the president's helicopter, but the foggy weather and huge, 70-meter tall boulders in the area were complicating search efforts. Over 40 rescue teams were operating in the area as part of search efforts.
The reformist Ensaf News site cited an informed source as saying that the crash was "serious" and that there was a "high probability" of injuries in the accident.
Iranian FM, regional leaders in helicopter with Raisi
Amir-Abdollahian and Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in East Azerbaijan and the Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz, were reportedly in the helicopter with Raisi.
The Deputy Coordinator of Civil Affairs of East Azerbaijan said that there were three helicopters in the convoy, two of which landed safely and one of which fell, according to Iranian state media. The deputy coordinator added that he did not know any details about possible casualties or the exact cause of the accident.
Iranian media reported that some people were able to talk with Ale-Hashem shortly after the incident but that contact had since been lost.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to pray for Raisi's health on Sunday evening, saying "If the people of Iran do not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country."
Regime religious leaders held prayers for Raisi's health in several locations across Iran, according to Iranian state media.
قرائت دعای توسل در حرمهای رضوی و حضرت معصومه برای سلامتی رئیسجمهور و همراهان pic.twitter.com/OoTIr6bGcM
— خبرگزاری فارس (@FarsNews_Agency) May 19, 2024
Raisi had met with Azerbaijani Elham Aliyev earlier on Sunday on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border.
Raisi is often referred to as the “butcher of Tehran” in light of his involvement in the mass executions of Iranian political prisoners in the 1980s.
US 'closely watching' reports about Raisi crash
The US State Department is closely watching reports of the crash of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister, a US State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.
Aliyev said he was "seriously worried" about Raisi on Sunday evening.
"Our prayers to Almighty God are with President Ibrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation. As a neighboring, friendly and brotherly country, the Republic of Azerbaijan is ready to provide all kinds of support," said Aliyev.
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, announced on Sunday evening that the EU had activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service's rapid response mapping service in the area of the helicopter crash in order to help find Raisi after receiving a request to do so from Iran.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Tzvi Joffre
Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-801726
No comments:
Post a Comment