2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash

On 19 May 2024, an Iranian Air Force helicopter crashed near the village of Uzi, East Azerbaijan, Iran, killing President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor-General of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, representative of the supreme leader in East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the head of the president's security team, and three flight crew. It was en route in a convoy of three helicopters from the Giz Galasi Dam to Tabriz.

Background

The helicopter involved was a Bell 212 with Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) registration number 6-9207. Iran purchased the helicopter in the early 2000s. Former presidents Abolhassan Banisadr (served 1980–1981) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (served 2005–2013) were both involved in helicopter crashes during their terms in office, but survived.

A day before the crash, the Iran Meteorological Organization issued an orange weather warning (severe weather that may cause damage or accidents) for the region.

Accident

On 19 May, Raisi met President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the Giz Galasi hydroelectric complex along their countries' borders to inaugurate it and to commission the Khoda Afarin hydroelectric complex. Following the meeting, Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, Rahmati, Ale-Hashem, and Raisi's head of security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi, departed for Tabriz by helicopter to inaugurate a project at an oil refinery. The helicopter was part of a convoy of three helicopters and was crewed by Iranian Air Force pilots Colonel Taher Mostafavi and Colonel Mohsen Daryanush and flight technician Major Behrouz Qadimi. A total of eight people were aboard the helicopter.

At around 13:30 IRST (UTC+3:30), the helicopter crashed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south-west of the village of Uzi, in the Dizmar Forest region, a wildlife corridor in Varzaqan County, East Azerbaijan province.

The head of the President's Office, Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili, was in one of the other helicopters. He stated that the helicopters took off at around 13:00. The weather was normal at the start and during most of the flight. Forty-five minutes into the flight, the pilot of Raisi's helicopter, who was in charge of the convoy, ordered other helicopters to increase altitude to avoid a nearby cloud. After 30 seconds of flying over the cloud, the pilot of Esmaeili's helicopter noticed that Raisi's helicopter, which was flying between the two others, had disappeared. The pilot returned to search for Raisi's helicopter and made a few circles, but was unable to contact it via radio and could not descend because of the cloud, so he landed at the nearby Sungun copper mine 30 seconds later. The pilots then called the phone of Captain Mostafavi, who was in charge of Raisi's helicopter, but Ale-Hashem answered, who said the helicopter had crashed into a valley. Esmaeili himself made a second call and spoke to Ale-Hashem, who told him: "I don't feel good, I don't know what happened, I don't know where I am, I'm under trees, I don't know, I don't see anyone, I'm alone." They took an ambulance with medical personnel and drove to the site, speaking several times to Ale-Hashem, who was answering the calls for about three hours. Ale-Hashem died before the rescuers could arrive.

Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian and Housing and Transportation Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, who were travelling in the other two helicopters, arrived safely in Tabriz after their aircraft made unsuccessful searches for the third helicopter for fifteen to twenty minutes after losing contact with it.

Recovery

News of the crash was released at 16:00, with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi describing it as a hard landing caused by bad weather and fog. Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, ordered all its branches to deploy their full resources for rescue operations. Heavy fog affected search-and-rescue operations in Varzaqan. Reports indicated that search-and-rescue teams were expected to reach the site of the crash by 20:00. By 20:39, Iranian forces were near the site of the crash. Forty rescue teams from the Iranian Red Crescent Society, along with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), were sent to the area of the crash.

Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, announced that the European Union would activate the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, providing rapid response satellite mapping, by Iran's request, drawing criticism from some European politicians and journalists for appearing sympathetic toward the Iranian regime. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Qatar, Turkey, and Russia offered to help in the search. Russia sent two airplanes, search and rescue helicopters and around 50 personnel to aid in the rescue mission. The United States Department of State said on 20 May that it had turned down, "largely for logistical reasons", a rare request for assistance from the Iranian government in the immediate aftermath of the crash to find Raisi's helicopter.

Iran requested a night vision search and rescue helicopter from Turkey, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. Coordinates from a Turkish Bayraktar Akıncı UAV showed the crash site being located on a steep mountain slope 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the Azerbaijan–Iran border. The UAV sent by Turkey was unarmed following a request by Iran. Iran later denied that the Turkish drone found the site and instead claimed that the site was only discovered after Iranian drones with Synthetic Aperture radar were recalled from the Indian Ocean to search the crash site. Iranian media was also critical of Turkey for flying the drone over sensitive sites and drawing the Turkish flag's crescent and star on its flight path during its return.

A few hours later after the crash, IRIB reported the helicopter had been found, and that there was "no sign of life" at the crash scene, which was situated at an altitude of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft). Except its tail, the helicopter burned completely following impact.

On 20 May, search operations concluded with the recovery of the bodies, which were transported to Tabriz. Many of the bodies were found in a charred condition, but did not require forensic identification.

Investigation

The Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces assumed responsibility for investigating the cause of the crash. Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, whose country includes Iran in its area of responsibility for emergency response, said they had not found a signal from the helicopter upon hearing news of its crash, which suggested that the aircraft either did not have its transponder turned on or did not have such a system. A preliminary report released by the Iranian military on 23 May found that the helicopter had "caught fire after hitting an elevated area". It also said it had not found evidence of foul play.

Cause

On 1 September, the Supreme Board of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran concluded in its final report that the accident was primarily the result of poor challenging atmospheric and climatic weather conditions, including thick fog.

Aftermath

Raisi was the second president of Iran to have died in office, following Mohammad-Ali Rajai, who was killed in a bombing in 1981. The presidential line of succession begins with Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president. On 20 May, the cabinet said that the government would continue to operate "without the slightest disruption". That same day, Mokhber was formally designated as acting president by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while Ali Bagheri was appointed as acting foreign minister. If power is transferred to the vice president in this way, Iranian law states that a new presidential election must be called within six months. Authorities subsequently set the election date for 28 June.

While the search was still underway, Khamenei asked the nation for its prayers and said: "The nation doesn't need to be worried or anxious as the administration of the country will not be disrupted at all." The government cancelled a cabinet meeting and instead convened an emergency meeting, during which Raisi's chair was left empty and draped with a black sash. Senior officials of the Supreme National Security Council travelled to Tabriz.

Funerals

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance ordered the suspension of cultural events and venues as well as all activities relating to Cultural Heritage Week, which coincided with the mourning period, for seven days beginning 20 May. Government offices and private businesses were ordered to close 22 May to coincide with the funerals for the victims.

Funerals for the victims began on 21 May in Tabriz; a procession of the remains, carried on a lorry, was attended by crowds estimated to be in the tens of thousands who were then addressed by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi.