Iran President Raisi's helicopter found, 'no sign of life'

Tehran: Rescue teams in northwest Iran early Monday located the missing helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi but no signs of life had been detected so far, state TV reported.

Fears had been growing for the 63-year-old leader after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, reports said.

"Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet," state TV reported about 15 hours after the aircraft went missing.

Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams were heading towards the site after locating the aircraft.

"The helicopter has been found. Now, we are moving toward the helicopter," said Koolivand. "We are seeing the helicopter. The situation is not good."

Iranian media including Fars news agency shared drone images of what appeared to be the wreckage of the helicopter.

State television reported earlier Monday that a Turkish drone appeared to have detected "the coordinates of the accident" and had informed Iranian rescue teams.

It first reported Sunday afternoon that "an accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president" in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province.

The search operation was being carried out by 73 rescue teams in "difficult conditions" in a mountainous area covered in thick fog and rain, the Red Crescent said.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi earlier said the helicopter "made a hard landing" in bad weather.

He urged people to get their information "only from state television", and not listen to foreign media channels.

Raisi's convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had "reached their destination safely", said the Tasnim news agency.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to "not worry" about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying "there will be no disruption in the country's work".

"We hope that Almighty God will bring our dear president and his companions back in full health into the arms of the nation," he said in a nationally televised address as Muslim faithful prayed for Raisi's safe return.

Expressions of concern and offers to help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani expressed gratitude for "governments and international organisations for their sympathy and offer of help in the search and rescue operations."

Massive search effort

Iran's cabinet held an emergency meeting led by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber after the incident, the IRNA news agency reported.

Rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, IRNA said.

Army, Revolutionary Guard and police officers joined the search, authorities said, as TV stations showed pictures of Red Crescent teams walking up a hill in the mist, and rows of waiting emergency response vehicles.

Raisi had visited the northwestern province to inaugurate a dam project together with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, on their common border.

Aliyev said in a post on X that "we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran".

"Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation," he said, also offering "any assistance needed".