Hopes that Raisi and his foreign minister survived the crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather are fading, an Iranian official said on May 20 after search teams discovered the wreckage.
"President Raisi's helicopter was completely burnt in the crash...unfortunately, it is feared that all the passengers have died," he said.
Read also: Major Iranian airports cancel flights amid possible Israeli retaliation fears
The helicopter accident with the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
The helicopter carrying Raisi was believed to have crashed, Iranian media reported on May 19.
Some of the president's companions traveling with him on the helicopter had managed to contact the center, raising hopes that there might be survivors, media initially reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, and other officials flew with Raisi, IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian officials had been able to contact two people on board the presidential helicopter, an official told CNN after it became known that Raisi had crashed.
They initially declared that the plane crash was "not serious".
Read also: One person killed and seven injured in helicopter crash in Kyrgyzstan
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Alla Shcherbak
