Wreckage of President’s Copter Detected by Iranian Drones: IRGC General
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The wreckage of the helicopter carrying the president of Iran was ultimately detected by Iranian drones, although a Turkish drone was also involved in the search operation, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in East Azarbaijan province said.
Speaking to Tasnim on Monday morning, General Asghar Abbasqolizadeh said homegrown unmanned aerial vehicles and a Turkish drone were searching the mountainous area where the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had crashed in northwestern Iran.
The IRGC provincial commander said the Turkish drone had detected a black spot on the ground in the region, but the Iranian rescuers realized that what had been spotted by the Turkish aircraft was not the wreckage of the helicopter when they reached that location.
The general noted that a number of Iranian drones that were patrolling the mountainous region could ultimately detect the wreckage, take images of the crash scene and send them to the crisis command and control center.
General Abbasqolizadeh also expressed gratitude to Turkey for dispatching a drone for assistance in the search operation.
The fatal accident happened as the president and his entourage were returning from Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan after inaugurating a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The crash has killed President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, Friday prayers leader of Tabriz Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem, Governor of East Azarbaijan Malek Rahmati, and members of the president’s security team and the crew.