Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi has reportedly died in a helicopter crash, alongside Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, according to officials and state media on Monday, 20 May 2024.

The wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday, 19 May 2024, carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein and six other passengers and crew was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.

“President Raisi, the Foreign Minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official confirmed this to Reuters, pleaded his name should not be mentioned due to sensitivity of the matter.
Raisi’s death was later confirmed in a statement on social media by Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and on State Television.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is expected to take over as President according to Iranian constitution.
State media reported that images from the site showed the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter rammed into a mountain peak. The accident also claimed the lives of the Governor of East Azerbaijan Province and a senior imam from Tabriz city.

According to State news agency IRNA, the helicopter went down in Varzeqan region north of Tabriz, as Raisi returned from an official visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran’s northwest.

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