The deaths of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdolahian were announced by the country’s state television a few hours after the wreckage of the helicopter they were on board, which crashed on Sunday afternoon, was found.

“Ayatollah martyred,” Tasnim news agency wrote in a post.

آیت‌الله #رئیسی به شهادت رسید pic.twitter.com/dTjLaBRtT2

— خبرگزاری تسنیم 🇮🇷 (@Tasnimnews_Fa) May 20, 2024

🔴#BREAKING
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were martyred in the helicopter crash that occurred on Sunday.https://t.co/DLoPswB0e5

— Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) May 20, 2024

In addition to Iran’s president and foreign minister, seven other people were on board the helicopter, who are also presumed dead.

They are the governor of the East Azerbaijan province of Malek Rahmaty, the Imam of the Friday Prayer of Tabriz, Mohammad Ali Alehashem, as well as a pilot, the co-pilot, the crew chief, the head of security and another bodyguard.

The wreckage

The Bell 212 helicopter in which Raisi and the other eight people were riding was found destroyed and burned shortly before 6 a.m. today, Monday.

Drone footage of the wreckage was taken by the Red Crescent and broadcast to Iran’s state media. The FARS news agency showed the crash site on a steep, wooded hillside, with little remains of the helicopter beyond a blue and white tail.

#BREAKING So far, “no sign of life” has been detected at the crash site, Iran’s state TV said, as rescue units are moving toward the wreckage.

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 20, 2024

An official told Reuters news agency that the helicopter was completely charred. Earlier, a Turkish drone had spotted a heat source believed to be the wreckage of a helicopter carrying Ebrahim Raisi” and “the coordinates were shared with Iranian authorities,” with Anadolu also uploading thermal camera video.

Akinci UAV identifies source of heat suspected to be wreckage of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi and shares its coordinates with Iranian authorities pic.twitter.com/0tZtMc5oaP

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 20, 2024