Iran’s presidential chief of staff has shared additional insights into the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and two other high-ranking officials in East Azerbaijan province.
In an interview with Iran state TV on Monday, Gholamhossein Esmaili elaborated on the weather conditions in the Varzaqan region where the crash occurred. He noted that the weather was initially clear and remained favorable for most of the flight, which had begun the previous day
Esmaili, who was aboard one of the three helicopters returning from a dam inauguration near Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, explained that they had taken off around 1 pm local time on May 19 under normal weather conditions.
About 45 minutes into the flight, the lead pilot, responsible for President Raisi’s helicopter, instructed the others to ascend to avoid an approaching cloud. However, the helicopter carrying the president disappeared while flying between the other two.
“Our pilot noticed the middle helicopter had disappeared after 30 seconds of flying above the clouds,” Esmaili recounted. Despite their efforts to establish contact and search for the missing helicopter, they were unable to locate it due to cloud cover, leading them to land at a nearby copper mine.
Despite multiple attempts to reach the president’s helicopter and its occupants, including Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian and the head of the president’s protection unit, they received no response. Contact was made with Captain Mostafavi, presumed to be in the president’s helicopter, but the individual who answered, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, reported that the helicopter had crashed into a valley.
Esmaili later confirmed the crash site and revealed that Ayatollah Raisi and others had perished instantly, while Ale-Hashem had succumbed to his injuries after several hours.
Meanwhile, mourners gathered in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, for a farewell ceremony for President Raisi. Funeral proceedings for Iranian state dignitaries typically span several days and multiple locations.
After the ceremony in Tabriz, the remains of Raisi and Amirabdollahian were to be transported to Tehran for another ceremony. Subsequently, they would be taken to Qom, a city of religious significance, before being interred in Tehran.
A larger ceremony is scheduled to take place in Tehran today, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leading prayers in the presence of foreign dignitaries.
Initially planned for Tuesday, Raisi’s burial has been postponed due to three days of ceremonies starting on Tuesday. His remains will now be interred in his hometown of Mashhad tomorrow.
