Iranian presidential helicopter accident, US and Europe are watching
- One out of three helicopters made an emergency landing; it is unknown whether the president was on board the accident plane.
Editor
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made an emergency landing on the 19th (local time). This accident occurred in the Dismar mountainous area near Bazgan, in central East Azerbaijan, northwestern Iran.
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| (Image=Al Jazeera) |
This area is approximately 600 km northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that the Iranian President and a number of officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullayan, boarded the helicopter that made a 'hard landing'.
There were a total of three helicopters, and two were reported to be safe, but one was reported to have made an emergency landing. It has not yet been confirmed whether President Raisi was on board the helicopter that made an emergency landing.
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| Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (Photo=AP) |
Rescue operations are being hampered by thick fog and other bad weather, and the helicopter is still missing. IRNA news agency reported that search and rescue teams were unable to reach the crash site due to fog and extreme cold. An Iranian government official said, "The lives of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdolayan are in danger. We are still not giving up hope, but the information coming out of the field is worrying."
The United States and Europe are watching this accident carefully. The White House confirmed that U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Georgia, was briefed on the accident. The European Union is also monitoring the situation. Iran has recently been conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations with the United States to ease tensions in the Middle East.
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