All nine victims of Iranian helicopter crash identified

Tehran, May 20 (IANS/DPA) The Iranian government says that all nine people killed in the helicopter crash have now been identified.

Despite severe burns, all occupants have been identified, a high-ranking government representative told Iranian news agency Tasnim.

Their bodies have since been transferred to Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province.

State media had previously confirmed the deaths of all nine occupants of the helicopter, including President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The chopper crashed on Sunday while they were travelling back from a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

A senior imam from Tabriz who led Friday prayers in the city was on the aircraft. He was alive for about an hour after the crash and was able to contact the presidential office before succumbing to his injuries, Tasnim reported.

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