Iran president Raisi's helicopter crash: Drone video claims to show suspected wreckage (WATCH)
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has potentially pinpointed the location of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi that went missing over a mountainous region in East Azerbaijan province, a report said.
FollowA few hours after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's aircraft disappeared in the country's mountainous northwest, one of Turkey's Bayraktar Akinci drones discovered a heat source suspected to be the wreckage of the chopper conveying the Islamic country's leader.
It has precisely conveyed the coordinates to Iranian officials, stepping up efforts in the current search and rescue operation, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu. Hours before this finding, Iran was plunged into uncertainty on Sunday as search and rescue crews explored a foggy mountain location after Raisi's chopper went missing in what state media characterised as a "accident".
Fears grew for the 63-year-old conservative after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province, reports said. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iranians to “not worry” about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying “there will be no disruption in the country’s work”
Other countries expressed concern and offered assistance, including Iraq, Syria, Russia, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The European Union also aided in the search effort by activating its fast reaction mapping service. Speaking on behalf of the Iranian foreign ministry, Nasser Kanani thanked "governments and international organisations for their offer of help in the search and rescue."
Following the event, Iran's cabinet convened an emergency meeting chaired by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, IRNA said. According to the Tasnim news agency, Raisi's convoy featured three helicopters, two of which "reached their destination safely". More than 60 rescue teams equipped with search dogs and drones were dispatched to Dizmar, a hilly protected forest region near Varzaghan, according to the IRNA news agency.
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