Tehran, IRNA – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has confirmed that rescue teams have located the wreckage of President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter, which crashed in the Varzaqan region of East Azerbaijan province.
Pir-Hossein Kolivand, president of the IRCS, announced the discovery on Monday morning. He stated that search and rescue teams had reached the crash site but warned that “the condition is not good.” Kolivand added that 73 rescue teams, equipped with advanced technology, are currently present in the search area near Tawal village.
The National Emergency Management Headquarters of the Red Crescent had previously reported that rescue teams were dispatched to two potential crash sites identified by a Turkish drone. Turkey’s high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, named Akinji, detected a heat source likely originating from the helicopter.
An Iranian Revolution Guards Corps commander confirmed that the detected heat source was indeed from the helicopter wreckage. The exact coordinates of the crash site were pinpointed through aerial monitoring, despite adverse weather conditions.
Rescue efforts continued around the clock, with teams, including armed forces, navigating the rocky and hilly terrain near Varzaqan despite fog and rain. The IRCS mobilized 46 rapid response and rescue teams from multiple provinces, including East Azarbaijan, Tehran, Alborz, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azarbaijan, to assist in the operation.
President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several others were on board, returning from a dam inauguration ceremony on the border with the Azerbaijan Republic when the helicopter crashed upon landing on Sunday.
