Iranian President Raisi, foreign minister die in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, an Iranian official said on Monday, after search teams located the wreckage in East Azerbaijan province.

Iranian state media Press TV and semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies reported all those on board were killed. Reuters also reported the president's death, citing a senior official.

A Turkish drone identified a source of heat suspected to be the helicopter's wreckage and had shared the coordinates of the possible crash site with Iranian authorities, Anadolu news agency said earlier on X.

Almost 10 hours into the search, it was "extremely difficult" because of darkness and heavy fog and rain, Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's Emergency Medical Services, told state TV. Earlier, Iran's interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, said finding the president's helicopter was likely to take time because of the adverse conditions.

The Turkish ministry of defense said it dispatched an Akinci drone in response to a request from Iran. It also said a Cougar helicopter remains on alert to be deployed depending on weather conditions.

The European Union activated its rapid response mapping service following a request for help from Iran, the bloc's Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said in a post on X.

Iranian television aired live footage of scores of ambulances amid heavy rain and fog. A reporter, stationed near the rescue teams, mentioned the challenges in reaching the crash site, citing impassable roads due to mud and the remote nature of the area.

Iranian state media said bad weather caused the crash on Sunday and was complicating rescue efforts. State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a US-made Bell 212 helicopter. The chief of staff of Iran's army ordered all resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guards to be put to use in search and rescue operations.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

In the early hours of Monday, it showed a rescue team, wearing bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a pitch-black mountainside on foot in a blizzard.

We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash," state media quoted a regional army commander as saying. "The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow."