The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has released its initial report on the helicopter crash that resulted in the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage. A senior investigation committee of experts arrived at the crash scene Monday morning, reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the report stated that the helicopter followed its predetermined course without deviation from the flight route. Nearly one and a half minutes before the crash, the pilot had communicated with the other two helicopters in the President’s convoy.
The report, quoted by Xinhua news agency, indicated that no evidence of bullets or other similar items was found on the wreckage. After crashing into a mountain, the helicopter caught fire.
The complexities of the region, including fog and low temperatures, extended search and rescue operations until nightfall and into the early hours of the morning.
The exact location of the crash was identified at 5 a.m. local time on Monday with the assistance of drones.
The report noted no suspicious issues in the conversations between the watchtower and the flight crew. Further details will be provided after more investigations, the report said.
President Raisi and his entourage were traveling to East Azerbaijan province when the helicopter crashed in a mountainous area on Sunday.
Among those on board were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader to East Azerbaijan.
Raisi was laid to rest on Thursday at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in his hometown of Mashhad.
Follow us
