Iran's Foreign Ministry thanks countries for their willingness to help search for presidential helicopter
(Baonghean.vn) - Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed its gratitude to countries willing to assist in the search for the plane carrying Iranian President Abraham Raisi and several other high-ranking officials that crashed.
According to RIA Novosti on May 20, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Iran expressed gratitude to a number of countries and international organizations that assisted in searching for the site of the helicopter crash carrying President Ebrahim Raisi.
"Unfortunately, on the afternoon of May 19, the helicopter carrying the President and the Foreign Minister crashed. Despite unfavorable weather conditions, search and rescue efforts continue," said a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, Iranian media reported on May 19 that a helicopter carrying President Ebramhim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian crashed in the Verzegan region in the west of the country. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the emergency area and are searching.
Türkiye has sent 31 climbers, and six vehicles as well as helicopters and a drone to assist Iran.
At the request of Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov to send a group of rescue workers to assist in the search for the helicopter carrying the Iranian President.
The group consists of 47 specialists, all-terrain vehicles, as well as a BO-105 helicopter for aerial search. Specialists from the joint team with the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Tsentrospas detachment and the Command Center have been put on alert, awaiting orders.
According to the press secretary of the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, President Putin is closely monitoring the situation, and will soon give the necessary instructions to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Accordingly, both helicopters and rescue forces are ready to carry out the most difficult tasks at high altitude. Even in bad weather conditions, in particular fog, search and rescue operations will continue.
The New York Times on May 19 commented that the helicopter crash took place at a sensitive time in international relations - just days after US and Iranian officials held mediated talks to defuse the threat of a broader conflict in the Middle East.
Currently, Press TV reported that the search radius for the helicopter carrying the Iranian President has narrowed to 2 km.
Meanwhile, the latest information from the state news agency IRNA said that military forces are advancing to the identified location and hope for good news./.