Details about the accident
What is known about the Raisi helicopter crash
May 20, 2024, 2:32 p.m
On the way back from Azerbaijan, the helicopter with Iran’s President Raisi on board crashes over mountainous landscapes. He and eight other people die. How did the accident happen? Why did the search take so long? And how does the Iranian population react? An overview.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is dead. The 63-year-old hardliner, who was considered the successor to the aging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died in a helicopter crash. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also on board and died in the accident along with seven other people. Some details surrounding the death of Raisi and his followers have now become known. An overview.
What happened?
Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian were returning from a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday afternoon when their plane disappeared from radar in thick fog. Together they inaugurated a dam in the neighboring country. The entourage then made its way back with a total of three helicopters, but the presidential plane did not arrive at its destination. Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi described the crash as a “hard landing” that night.
Where did the presidential plane crash?
The helicopter with Raisi and Amirabdollahian on board was last located over the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan. According to the state news agency Irna, the crash site is in the forest area of Dismar near the city of Warsaghan. The Turkish Air Force had previously identified a suspicious heat source on the ground at the suspected helicopter crash site. A drone provided by the Ministry of Defense to search for the helicopter provided footage of the site early in the morning, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported. The coordinates were sent to the Iranian authorities. Anadolu published an aerial photo with a black spot that clearly stands out from its surroundings.
Why did the search take so long?
According to Irna, more than 20 rescue teams with sniffer dogs and drones were sent to the region, and in some cases there was even talk of 40 rescue teams. According to Chief of General Staff Mohammed Bagheri, soldiers as well as members of the Revolutionary Guards and the police were also deployed. But the search for the wreck was made difficult by the weather conditions and the nature of the terrain. Media reported heavy rain, snow, fog and wind. This meant that helicopters were unable to search from the air. Rescuers therefore sometimes tried to do it on foot in the dark. In addition, the crash site is in a remote, mountainous and poorly developed region. The charred wreckage was only discovered early Monday morning.
Who was on board the ill-fated plane?
In addition to President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, there were seven other people on board, some of them high-ranking government representatives – including Malek Rahmati. The 60-year-old was recently appointed by the Iranian cabinet as the new governor of East Azerbaijan province. He previously held a number of roles in Iran’s political system. The Supreme Leader’s representative in the East Azerbaijan province and an imam in the city of Tabriz, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashim, was also in the crashed helicopter with Raisi. Also on board: the head of Raisi’s protection unit, a bodyguard, the pilot of the helicopter, the co-pilot and a flight technician.
Are there survivors??
None of the occupants survived the crash. Their bodies have now been identified despite severe burns, a senior government official told the Iranian news agency Tasnim. They were transferred to Tabris, capital of the East Azerbaijan province. According to Tasnim, one of the passengers, Imam Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashim, was alive for about an hour after the crash and contacted the presidential office before succumbing to his injuries.
What type of helicopter is it?
According to Iranian state media, Raisi was traveling in a US-made Bell 212 helicopter. The Bell 212 is a multi-purpose helicopter from Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., whose military variant is also called Twin-Huey and is used as an on-board helicopter.
How did the crash happen?
There was initially no official information about the cause of Sunday’s accident. However, there was already speculation as to whether the crash was due to bad weather, a technical defect in the helicopter or even sabotage. There is no clarity on this yet. One thing is certain: Iran’s air force is considered to be very outdated, its modernization is making little progress in the face of strict international sanctions, and spare parts are difficult to obtain. Many planes and helicopters date from before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, when the country had close relations with the United States. Serious accidents and crashes occur again and again.
How does the Iranian population react to the news of the accident?
Thousands of government supporters streamed into Iran’s religious centers and mosques on Monday night, praying for the president and fearing the worst. After his death was announced, state media paid tribute to Raisi’s tenure. However, a different picture emerged on social media. Many Iranians there openly expressed their joy and gloating over the disaster. Pictures of fireworks in Tehran also made the rounds. Raisi’s term of office was overshadowed by allegations of mismanagement and severe repression. In his previous role as public prosecutor, he is said to have been responsible for numerous arrests and executions of political dissidents in 1988, which is why his opponents nicknamed him the “Butcher of Tehran.”
What’s next in Iran?
“I declare five days of national mourning and express my condolences to the dear Iranian people,” Khamenei said. Allies Lebanon and Syria ordered three days of national mourning. Meanwhile, Raisi’s first deputy Mohammed Mochber will take over the official duties. Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also commissioned him to organize new elections within 50 days together with the heads of the judiciary and parliament. Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri, who most recently played a leading role as a negotiator in the nuclear negotiations with the West, was appointed acting foreign minister.