A helicopter in a convoy carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reportedly crashed in East Azerbaijan, according to media reports on Sunday.
State television reported that rescuers are trying to reach the crash site but provided no further details about the incident or the occupants of the helicopter.
It was also reported that the country’s finance minister, Amir Abdollahian, was with the president in the helicopter.
According to the Tehran Times, there were three helicopters in the president’s convoy; two of them safely reached their destination.
President Raisi was in East Azerbaijan province to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam.
Iran’s helicopter fleet faces challenges due to international sanctions that make it difficult to obtain parts, and much of the military air fleet dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
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