Iran presidential helicopter missing near Sungun copper mine

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on board the helicopter suffered a “hard landing” in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, says Iranian state media.

Adverse weather conditions, including heavy fog, are hampering rescue efforts and the helicopter is still missing, reports Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Fars News Agency calls on Iranians to pray for President Raisi.

Al Jazeera live update showed that the helicopter crashed close to a copper mine called Sungun. It’s located in between Jofa and Varzaqan in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran and it’s roughly between 70km (43 miles) to 100km (62 miles) away from the city of Tabriz, one of the largest cities in Iran and also the city that the president of Iran and foreign minister were headed toward.

The Iranian Red Crescent says they have deployed 14 separate teams to the region… as of now the teams arrived to the area, however not to the specific spot where the helicopter just crashed. The reason for that they say, is the harsh weather conditions.

EM