First information about the moment of tragedy

On May 23, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces released its first report on the cause of the recent helicopter crash that resulted in the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage.

Rescue workers at the scene of the plane crash carrying Iranian President Raisi and his entourage. (Source: Zuma Press)

The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a report from the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces as saying that after the accident, a high-level investigation committee consisting of experts and technicians arrived at the scene on the morning of May 20.

The helicopter carrying President Raisi maintained its pre-determined route throughout the entire flight and did not deviate from it. The report revealed that, nearly a minute and a half before the incident, the pilot of the crashed helicopter contacted two other helicopters in the presidential entourage.

No traces of bullets or similar objects were found on the wreckage of the crashed helicopter. The helicopter carrying President Raisi burst into flames after hitting the mountain. The report added that adverse weather conditions of “fog and low temperatures” had hampered search and rescue operations.

According to the report, at 5:00 a.m. local time on May 20 (8:30 a.m. Vietnam time), with the support of drones, rescuers determined the exact location of the crashed plane. No suspicious issues were detected in conversations with the crew.

Further details will be provided upon further investigation.

On May 19, President Raisi and his entourage were on their way to East Azarbaijan province when the helicopter carrying them crashed in a mountainous area.

Also on board the crashed helicopter were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in East Azarbaijan province, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem.

Iran then declared five days of national mourning. On May 23, Raisi's body was buried at the Imam Reza Muslim shrine in his hometown of Mashhad, northeastern Iran.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vu-may-bay-cho-tong-thong-iran-gap-nan-thong-tin-dau-tien-ve-thoi-khac-tham-kich-272406.html