The May 19, 2024 helicopter crash which resulted in the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others was caused by climatic and atmospheric conditions, an official investigation concluded, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The Supreme Board of the General Staff of the Armed Forces released its final report attributing the crash primarily to the springtime climatic conditions in the region, according to AP. The report detailed that the helicopter encountered a sudden and dense fog, which caused it to collide with a mountain, according to the outlet.
The report also cited the sudden appearance of a thick mass of dense fog rising upwards as the helicopter collided with the mountain. https://t.co/8cUpmCfzoP
— fox8news (@fox8news) September 1, 2024
Officials confirmed there were no indications of sabotage affecting the helicopter’s parts or systems. Raisi and his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were among the eight fatalities in the crash, which occurred in a remote mountainous area in northwestern Iran, AP reported. There were no survivors found at the scene during the search and rescue operation.
It was previously reported that the crash occurred as Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian were traveling from Azerbaijan, where they attended the inauguration of a dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. In response to the tragedy, the Iranian cabinet convened an emergency meeting, according to the state news agency IRNA. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: X Image Shows 2016 Plane Crash, Not Recent Helicopter Crash In Iran)
TEHRAN, IRAN – JUNE 03: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini’s death at his grave outside Tehran, on June 03, 2022 In Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Meghdad Madadi ATPImages/Getty Images)
Following the crash, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber assumed presidential duties. Mokhber has been Raisi’s top deputy since 2021 and is the highest-ranking of Iran’s 12 vice presidents, according to The Washington Post. An election was reportedly called to select Raisi’s successor.
Masoud Pezeshkian secured a victory in Iran’s July 2024 presidential election. Pezeshkian captured 53.6% of the 30.5 million votes in runoff, narrowly defeating his ultraconservative opponent, Saeed Jalili, who received 44.3% of the vote, according to CNN.
