Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's Helicopter Found, Rescue Team Says Situation 'Not Good': What We Know So Far

The missing helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi was found today. However, the rescue team has described the situation as "not good".

Turkish UAV identified a source of heat during its search operation that was suspected to be of the Iranian President's missing chopper.

Source : X/@anadoluagency

A day after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter made a "hard landing" on Sunday, the search and rescue teams were scouring a foggy mountain area located northwest of Iran today, where the "accident" reportedly occurred, and found the helicopter in a situation the country's Red Crescent chief described as "not good".

#BREAKING: Footage shows helicopter carrying #Iran's president and foreign minister is almost entirely destroyed
pic.twitter.com/jHOMlA8f0p

— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) May 20, 2024

Iran's Red Crescent is noted for its special expertise in responding to earthquakes, and was involved in undertaking the search and rescue operation of the President's missing helicopter.

In order to assisst Iran in finding their leader, Turkey provided its Aknici Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which identified a source of heat earlier today. Suspecting it to be the wreckage of the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbijan province, and other Iranian officials, Turkey shared the coordinates with the Iranian authorities.

Akinci UAV identifies source of heat suspected to be wreckage of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi and shares its coordinates with Iranian authorities pic.twitter.com/0tZtMc5oaP

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 20, 2024

The European Commission also launched its satellite mapping service to assist Iran in its search mission to locate President Raisi's helicopter, the European crisis management commissioner stated.

The European Commission's Copernicus Emergency Management Service offers mapping products derived from satellite images.

Janez Lenarcic, Crisis management commissioner, wrote on X that he was acitivating his "Rapid response mapping service following the helicopter crash."

Even though several rescue crews and drones were deployed in the search, the efforts were hamepered by poor weather conditions due to heavy rain and fog, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, Iran's envoy to India Iraj Elahi, stated in a post on X, "With deep concern in these difficult times, we pray for the health and safe return of our beloved president and his companions."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also expressed his deep concern regarding Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's missing helicopter and stated that India stands in solidarity with the Iranian people in this hour of distress.

"A helicopter carrying Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray, according to media reports. Deeply concerned by reports regarding President Raisi's helicopter flight today. We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in this hour of distress, and pray for the well-being of the President and his entourage," Modi said in a post on X.

Following the incident on May 19, an Iranian official told news agency Reuters, that the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were "at risk following the helicopter crash".

Besides India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar ,and Iraq, all came out to express their support and solidarity with the Iranian establishment.

#Statement | The Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the government of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern what was circulated in the media regarding the helicopter carrying the Iranian President H.E. Dr. Ebrahim Raisi and the delegation accompanying the President. pic.twitter.com/n7UVaQn6h8

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) May 19, 2024

 

The crash reportedly occurred when the Irani authorities were on their way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran's northwest. Iran's news agency IRNA stated that the Iranian President was flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.