Iranian President's Helicopter Makes Hard Landing, Search Underway

On Sunday, May 21st, 2024, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter was forced to make an emergency hard landing due to poor weather conditions after attending an event near the Azerbaijan border.

The Helicopter Incident

According to reports from Iranian state media around 3:45 pm local time (8:15 am ET), one of the three helicopters carrying Raisi and his delegation made a rough landing caused by fog and bad weather in the area. This occurred as they were returning from the inauguration of the Khoda Afarin and Qiz Qalasi dams near Azerbaijan.

Search and Rescue Efforts

Mojtaba Vahidi, head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue service, immediately deployed 40 search and rescue teams to the hard landing site. However, their efforts have been seriously hampered by the challenging weather conditions, preventing rescue aircraft from flying in.

International Support Offered

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, who was present at the dam opening ceremony with Raisi earlier, offered assistance from Azerbaijan to locate the missing Iranian presidential helicopter. Expressing concern, Aliyev stated his country stands ready as a "neighbor, friend and brotherly" nation.

Supreme Leader's Call for Prayers

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged people to pray for the safe return of President Raisi and his companions, referring to them as "servants" of the Iranian nation.

The incident has raised concerns domestically and internationally as search operations continue to face obstacles due to adverse weather in the region near the Iran-Azerbaijan border.