The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pir-Hossein Kolivand said that "The situation is very difficult; The site of the president's helicopter accident has not been found yet," according to the IRNA.
Also, Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), said sourcing a radio reporter that the range of search has been narrowed by the rescueres and the search teams which have been deployed. The weather conditions have difficulted the search, with snowing, rain, a thick fog in the area.
Seven hours ago, the helicopter carrying the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and several main officials had a hard landing. The committee was returning from a dam inauguration near the Azerbaijan border.
EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE IRAN'S CABINET
The Iranian news agency IRNA have reported that the Iranian Cabinet holds an extraordinary meeting to "to deal with the aftermath of a helicopter crash in northwest of the country that involved President Ebrahim Raisi and senior members of his government."
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Several Countries Offer Help To Find Iranian Presidential Helicopter
Mohammad Mokhber, vicepresident of the Islamic Republic chaired the session. The meeting is aimed at "mobilizing all potential and capacities of the government to find the helicopter of Raisi and his entourage in northern regions of Iran’s East Azarbaijan province," IRNA said.
The vicepresident ordered Bahram Einollahi, Health Ministry, to travel travel to the region where the copter is believed to have made the emergency landing, deputy president for executive affairs Mohsen Mansouri was sened too to the region.
Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian, together with other authorities, left today by helicopter from Tabriz, capital of the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan, at 1300 local time (11.30 GMT) and about 30 minutes later, contact with the device was lost.
LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD LOOKS TORWARD THE ACCIDENT:
The Houthi rebels in Yemen expressed their "deep concern" on Sunday about the crash of the helicopter in which Raisi was traveling, and other officials of his government. The Houthis Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the department follows "with great concern the unfortunate news about the helicopter accident that was transporting the Iranian president and his loyal comrades".
Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president also said this Sunday he follows "closely" the information related to the accident of the helicopter in which the president was traveling. The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, indicated in X that Maduro "is closely following events" through "the official information that has been issued from this brother country".
"The people and the Bolivarian Government are praying that the rescue teams will soon be able to return home, safe and sound, all the occupants of the Iranian presidential aircraft," said the Bolivarian Foreign Minister.
On the other hand, the Bolivian chancellor Celinda Sosa expressed, her concern at learning of the helicopter’s crash landing. "We are following with concern the news about the forced landing of the helicopter carrying the President of the Islamic Republic," she said and also expressed the hope that "the rescue teams can find all the crew alive".
For his part, the Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel, expressed his "solidarity" with his Iranian counterpart. "Dismayed by the news, we express to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the beloved people of the Islamic Republic of Iran our solidarity and our best wishes and hopes that President Raisi and his companions will be located unhindered", he wrote in X.
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