A helicopter carrying President Ibrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday but has not yet been found by search and rescue crews due to heavy fog, Iran’s state media and the country’s mission to the United Nations reported.
The helicopter also carried Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that a massive search operation involving 16 teams was underway to find the helicopter. Bad weather reportedly hampered the work. Nearly five hours later, the team still had not found the crash site.
State media has yet to report casualties or confirm the president’s whereabouts or condition. The cause of the crash is also unknown.
“Given the complexity of the area, contact has been difficult and we hope that rescue teams will be able to reach the helicopter and provide us with more information,” Iranian Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told state television.
Mr Raisi is on an official visit to West Azerbaijan Province, a mountainous region in northwest Iran.
A delegation of ministers traveled with him in a convoy of three helicopters, state media reported, adding that two other planes had arrived at their destination.
According to state media reports, the helicopter crashed in the Varzag region, carrying the province’s governor in addition to the president and foreign minister.
Iranian law stipulates that if the president dies, power transfers to the first vice president and an election must be held within six months. The first vice president was Mohamed Mokhbel, a conservative politician.
