Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash.
Khamenei, in an official statement on Monday, a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province, said: “I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran.”
Raisi was travelling with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who also died in the accident.
Rescue teams had been scouring the area since Sunday afternoon after a helicopter carrying Raisi, the foreign minister and other officials had gone missing.
Early Monday, relief workers located the missing helicopter with state TV saying the President had died.
“The servant of Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has achieved the highest level of martyrdom whilst serving the people,” state television said Monday, with Mehr news agency also saying he was dead.
