Wrecked helicopter carrying Iranian President, Foreign Minister found

Tehran, May 20 (IANS/DPA) The chief of Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has confirmed that rescue and search teams have identified President Ebrahim Raisi’s crashed chopper. The chopper also had Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian and seven others on board.

After a search operation lasting several hours, the emergency services were still around 2 kilometres away from the site and had identified the helicopter, head of IRCS, Pir-Hossein Kolivand, said on state television on Monday morning.

Without giving further detail, Kolivand said that “the condition is not good.”

"73 rescue teams are present in the search area of the helicopter in Tawal village with advanced and specialised equipment," he added.

However, there are no signs of survivors, as per reports.

Rescue workers in Iran continued their search on ground on Sunday for the helicopter carrying nine people including the Iranian President and Foreign Minister, after it went missing in the mountainous terrain, state media reported.

A total of 65 rescue teams, including those from the Iranian armed forces, had been deployed to East Azerbaijan Province in Iran's northwest, where the helicopter has been located.

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