Explanation of Iranian President's helicopter crash by one of his companions

Pars Today - The Chief of Staff of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran has provided explanations about the crash of the helicopter that carried Ayatollah Raeisi.

Gholam Hossein Esmaeili who was present on the last trip of Martyr Ayatollah Raeisi to East Azarbaijan, spoke about the provincial trip and the crash of the helicopter that carried the President. "We left Tehran at 6:00 am on Sunday, May 19, and landed in Tabriz at 7:10 am. The weather was clear, and we headed to our mission locations."

Esmaeili stated that the joint program with the Republic of Azerbaijan for the inauguration of a dam was completed, and a diplomatic meeting with the Azerbaijani counterpart lasted over an hour. After performing the noon prayer, the President met with the local people, and then we boarded the helicopters to return to Tabriz to continue our programs. The sky was clear, bright, and transparent, with no particular weather issue.

He added, "After 30 minutes of flying, a cloud-like spot was seen."

The Chief of Staff explained that the altitude of the helicopters was such that they were facing the clouds, and we were slightly lower than the clouds. Martyr Captain Mostafavi, the pilot of the helicopter carrying President and the commander of our helicopter fleet, suggested that we gain altitude and fly above the clouds.

Esmaeili said, "The helicopters flew above the clouds, and we were on helicopter number three, in the middle of the President's helicopter and another helicopter in front of us."

He continued, "After 30 seconds of flying above the clouds, the pilot realized that the main helicopter was not with us, and we didn't see it."

Esmaeili stated: "Since the other flight did not arrive, our pilot turned around and headed back. I asked the co-pilot, who said that they suspected an emergency landing had been made. Despite repeatedly calling, our radio communication was cut off and there was no response."

He explained that the pilot flew around the area several times, but the helicopter was not visible below the clouds, and it was not possible to fly under the clouds. We landed in the Sungun copper mine area, which was nearby, and pursued the incident.

The Chief of Staff stated that the President's companions had mobile phones and tried to contact him, but received no response.

Esmaeili said that the flight crew told us that they had contacted Martyr Captain Mostafavi's mobile phone, and Ayatollah Al-e Hashem had answered, saying that he was not feeling well and had fallen into a valley, but didn't say anything specific. 

I contacted him and asked about his condition, and he said he was not feeling well and didn't know what had happened or where he was. He said, "I'm among the trees." When I asked if he could see anyone, he replied, "I don't see anyone; I'm alone, and no one is around me." I asked if he could identify any features of the area, and he described the presence of trees and forest. It became clear to us that the helicopter had crashed, so we decided to head to the crash site and begin rescue operations.

He added, "When we found the region, the situation indicated that the President and other martyrs had been martyred immediately in the incident, but Mr. Al-e Hashem was martyred a few hours later."

The Chief of Staff also stated that when we inspecting the situation from above, no explosion, fire, or smoke was seen.

He said, "About an hour after we landed in the Sungun copper mine, the weather was good, but when we headed towards the incident location, the clouds formed, and it started raining, and the fog settled, and the weather in the region changed completely after 3:00 pm."

Key phrases: Who is Raeisi, Helicopter crash in Iran, Who was the President of Iran, Incident for the President of Iran

MG/UR