Speaking to the state Islamic Republic News Agency, emergency services ministry spokesman Babak Yektaparast said rescuers had been unable to reach the crash site by helicopter due to heavy fog. A convoy of eight ambulances has been dispatched, accompanied by doctors and paramedics, he added.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told local media that “relief groups are moving toward the area, but due to fog and bad weather it may take some time to reach the scene of the accident.”
Iran’s state-run IRINN news agency has reported that the crash site is located on rough, rocky terrain with 70-meter boulders blocking the path.
Senior Iranian officials have met to discuss the incident, Islamic Republic spokesperson Ali Bahadri Jahromi said in a statement. Executive Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has left Tehran for the northwestern city of Tabriz, closer to the crash site, he added.
Reacting to the news, European Commission President Charles Michel said the bloc’s member states and partners were “monitoring the situation closely” given the condition of those on board the helicopter is “not yet clear.”
Speaking to Reuters, an unnamed Iranian official said that the lives of Raisi and Abdollahian could be at risk. “We are still hopeful, but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” the official said. A story posted to Raisi’s official Instagram account asks Iranians to pray for him.
