Raisi's helicopter caught fire soon after crash, no sign of attack — army
Preliminary investigation into helicopter crash carrying former president Ebrahim Raisi, ex-FM Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and other top dignitaries reveals no traces of gunfire or damage on wreckage.
The aging Bell helicopter went down in a foggy, remote mountainous region of Iran’s northwest on Sunday. The crash site was discovered Monday morning with all eight on board dead. / Photo: Reuters
The helicopter carrying Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was no sign it was attacked, state media reported, citing the military's crash investigators.
The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was read on state television late Thursday. The first statement on the crash did not lay blame but said more details would come after further investigation.
The crash Sunday killed Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and six other people.
Raisi was buried in a tomb at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday.
The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces released a preliminary report on an investigation into the crash.
The report notes that technical and general information and findings related to the crash have been collected and evaluated, with some data requiring more time for assessment, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.
According to the preliminary evaluation, the helicopter continued on its predetermined route without altering its flight path. The pilot communicated with the pilots of the other two helicopters about a minute and a half before the crash.
The report indicates that no traces of gunfire or similar damage was found on the remaining parts of the helicopter and that the helicopter caught fire after the crash.
The rugged terrain, cold weather and fog in the area prolonged search and rescue operations and the crash site was only reached by morning.
No suspicious circumstances
The report states that no suspicious circumstances were encountered in the control tower's communications with the flight crew.
The final results of the investigation will be shared once it is completed.
On May 19, President Raisi attended an inauguration ceremony for a dam at the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Returning with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian and some officials, Raisi's helicopter crashed.
At Iran's request, Türkiye assigned an AKINCI unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for search and rescue activities. The coordinates of the helicopter wreckage detected by the Turkish UAV were shared with Iranian authorities.
Iranian teams reached the location and reported no survivors.
Mourners in their hundreds of thousands attended a burial ceremony of the late Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in Mashhad
Khamenei leads funeral
Raisi was laid to rest on Thursday, concluding days of funeral rites attended by throngs of mourners, state media reported.
Hundreds of thousands marched in his hometown town Mashhad on Thursday to bid farewell to Raisi ahead of his burial following processions in the cities of Tabriz, Qom, Tehran and Birjand.
On Wednesday Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers at a memorial ceremony for Raisi and his entourage.
The massive crowd then marched from Enghelab (Revolution) Square to Azadi (Freedom) Square.
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