President Ebrahim Raisi, along with seven others, tragically perished on Sunday when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed near the border with Azerbaijan, as confirmed by Iranian authorities.
Kondele News, through credible sources has manageed to answer some questions regarding the crash.
What Purpose of the Flight? President Raisi flew to the far north-western province of East Azerbaijan on Sunday morning to attend the inauguration of the Qiz Qalasi and Khoda Afarin dams. These dams are part of a joint hydroelectric power project with neighboring Azerbaijan on the Aras river.
Who were the Attendees? During the ceremony, President Raisi was accompanied by Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, who bid a “friendly farewell” as the helicopter departed from the dam area towards the city of Tabriz, located approximately 130km (80 miles) to the south.
What was the schedule engagement Scheduled Engagement? President Raisi’s itinerary included the inauguration of a project at the Tabriz oil refinery. However, this event was tragically interrupted by the fatal helicopter crash.
According to Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), the seven individuals accompanying the president who tragically lost their lives in the crash were:
- Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
- Governor of East Azerbaijan province, Malek Rahmati
- Tabriz’s Friday prayer leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem
- IRGC Brig-Gen Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi, head of the president’s security team
- Pilots Col Mohsen Daryanush and Col Seyyed Taher Mostafavi
- Technician Maj Behrouz Qadimi
