ISTANBUL – A Turkish Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reportedly identified a source of heat early today, suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and shared its coordinates with Iranian authorities, Anadolu Agency reported.
After the helicopter carrying Raisi crashed, the Turkish Defence Ministry assigned the UAV and a Cougar-type helicopter with night vision capabilities to participate in search activities.
President Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony for a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border yesterday by helicopter.
Iranian state television reported that the accident occurred when Raisi’s helicopter made a hard landing while returning from the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian; Malik Rahmeti, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province; and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province were also on board the helicopter.
Search-and-rescue teams are reporting that work continues with difficulty due to adverse weather conditions. – May 20, 2024