India lowers flag to half-mast as nation mourns Iran President Ebrahim Raisi's death in chopper crash (WATCH)
India observed a day of national mourning on Tuesday as the flag at Rashtrapati Bhavan flew at half-mast in Delhi, honouring the tragic deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Foreign Minister, and other senior officials in a helicopter crash.
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FollowIndia observed a day of national mourning on Tuesday as the flag at Rashtrapati Bhavan flew at half-mast in Delhi, honouring the tragic deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Foreign Minister, and other senior officials in a helicopter crash. Correspondingly, the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi also lowered its flag to half-mast.
"Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister have passed in a helicopter crash, as a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries Government of India has decided that there will be one day's state mourning on 21st May throughout India. On the day of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day," the MHA said in a statement on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for President Raisi's passing in a helicopter accident yesterday, recognizing his efforts in enhancing the bilateral ties between India and Iran in a social media post on platform X.
"Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow," PM Modi wrote.
At the same time, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed his condolences for the tragic loss of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who perished in a helicopter crash in the mountainous northwest region of the country.
In a post on X, EAM wrote, “Deeply shocked to hear of the passing away of Iran’s President Dr Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister H Amir-Abdollahian in the helicopter crash. Recall my many meetings with them, most recently in January 2024. Our condolences to their families. We stand with the people of Iran at time of this tragedy."
On Sunday afternoon, Iranian authorities raised concerns when communication was lost with President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter as it traversed a foggy mountainous area in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province. Earlier, President Raisi had met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at their shared border to inaugurate a dam project.
During the return journey, only two out of the three helicopters in President Raisi's convoy landed safely in the city of Tabriz, triggering an extensive search and rescue operation. Several foreign governments promptly offered their assistance. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi initially mentioned a 'hard landing' and urged citizens to disregard potentially misleading information from foreign media, emphasizing reliance on state television for updates.
The search effort engaged army personnel, Revolutionary Guards, police officers, and Red Crescent teams, who braved adverse weather conditions to ascend a hill in fog and rain, while emergency services vehicles awaited nearby. Throughout the predominantly Shiite nation, Muslims gathered in mosques, particularly in President Raisi's hometown of Mashhad, to offer prayers for the missing individuals.
As daylight emerged on Monday, rescue teams reported discovering the wreckage of the aircraft, with nine occupants on board. State television network IRIB conveyed online that the helicopter had 'collided with a mountain and disintegrated' upon impact.
Pirhossein Koolivand, Iran's Red Crescent chief, confirmed the organization's personnel were "transporting the martyrs' remains to Tabriz" and declared that "the search operations have concluded."
- Delhi
- East Azerbaijan province
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
- Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
- IRIB
- Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi
- Iranian Embassy
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
- Jolfa region
- Mashhad
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- Pirhossein Koolivand
- President Ilham Aliyev
- President Raisi
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Red Crescent chief
- Red Crescent teams
- Revolutionary Guards
- Shiite nation
- Tabriz
- army personnel
- condolences
- dam project
- flag at half-mast
- hard landing
- helicopter crash
- mosques
- national mourning
- police officers
- search and rescue operation
- social media post
- state television
- wreckage
