Raisi took part in dam openings on the border with Azerbaijan before the helicopter accident – ​​Armenian Public Radio

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was on his way to the northeastern city of Tabriz after returning from an Iran-Azerbaijan border area when the incident occurred.

Raisi had visited the Iran-Azerbaijan border, where he opened the Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams together with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

A helicopter in a convoy carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was involved in an accident. The helicopter – one of three traveling in the convoy – suffered a “hard landing” after running into difficulties in heavy fog in the north of the country.

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said “various rescue teams” were still searching for the helicopter.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Vahidi said it would “take time to get to the crash site” due to the “bad weather conditions and fog in the area.”

“Things are under control and rescue teams are doing their jobs. We hope this happens as soon as possible,” he added.