TNI Bureau: A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province suffered a “hard landing” due to bad weather on Sunday, Iranian state media reported.
According to State TV, the incident took place near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, while Raisi was returning after meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the border area.
While the exact details about the occupants of the helicopter was not known immediately, rescue team were rushed to the spot soon after the mishap that occurred possibly due to heavy fog. However, it is reported that adverse weather conditions are affecting the rescue operation and the helicopter is still missing.
Meanwhile, the government Cabinet held an emergency meeting and discussed the incident in East Azerbaijan, informed Ali Bahadori Jahromi, the government spokesman, in a post on X.