A helicopter crash killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and seven officials, including Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian. The overloaded US-made Bell 212, flying in poor weather, crashed into a mountainside. The incident, initially feared to be linked to Israel, was ruled an accident after a thorough investigation found no evidence of sabotage. The crash prompted Iran to hold an emergency presidential election, resulting in Masoud Pezeshkian's victory.
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#Iran #IranIsrael #IsraelAttack #EbrahimRaisi #RaisiDeath #Raisi #Khamenei #IDF #Worldnews #Oneindia #Oneindianews
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NewsTranscript
00:00On 19th of May, a tragic helicopter crash claimed the life of former Iranian President
00:17Ebrahim Raisi and other seven government officials.
00:22The incident occurred as Raisi was returning from a meeting with Azerbaijani President
00:27Aliyev.
00:29The crash site, located in mountainous terrain, was not reached by rescuers until the following
00:35day due to severe weather conditions.
00:37And now, according to a report by the local Iranian news channels, citing security sources,
00:43the crash was attributed to a combination of bad weather and helicopter carrying two
00:47more passengers than it should have.
00:52The official investigation, which claimed 30,000 individuals, found no evidence of human
00:57error or sabotage, ruling that the incident is just a mere accident.
01:05The aircraft involved was a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.
01:11Investigators have concluded that it was overloaded exceeding the passenger's limit set by the
01:16security protocol.
01:19This excess weight became a critical factor when the pilot encountered a fog bank en route
01:24to Tabriz.
01:26In an attempt to fly above the fog, the engines lacked sufficient power, leading to helicopters
01:32striking fog-obscured mountainside.
01:37Another contributing factor was Raisi's delayed schedule.
01:41This delay meant that fog and rain had moved to the planned flight path, further complicating
01:46the journey.
01:48Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border approximately 200 km northeast of Tabriz to inaugurate a
01:55hydroelectric dam on the Arus River alongside his Azeri counterpart.
02:01The crash resulted in the death of all eight people aboard.
02:06In addition to President Raisi, the casualties included Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian,
02:11East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rehmeti and Imam Muhammad Ali al-Hashem, who was the Supreme
02:17Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in Tabriz.
02:24The incident initially sparked fears of a regional instability with concern that Iran
02:28might blame Israel for the crash.
02:31These tensions were further exacerbated by the comments of U.S. Secretary of State Antony
02:35Blinken, who, despite sending formal condolences, remarked that Iranians are probably better
02:41off without Raisi.
02:44The statement caused a diplomatic friction at sensitive time.
02:48In response to the sudden loss of leadership, Iran called for an immediate presidential
02:52election.
02:54The subsequent political process saw Massoud Pazishkian, considered a moderate candidate,
02:58emerge victorious in July runoff.
03:02Pazishkian secured 53.3% of the vote, defeating a more conservative candidate, Saeed Jalili,
03:09who received just 44.3% of the vote.