Iran has released a preliminary report on the helicopter crash carrying President Raisi.

The General Staff of Iran has released the preliminary results of the investigation into the helicopter crash that occurred with President Ibrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian, and others on board.



"MORE TIME IS NEEDED"



According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, the General Staff of Iran has published the preliminary report of the commission investigating the dimensions and causes of the accident. The report stated that technical and general information and findings related to the accident were collected and evaluated, and that more time is needed to evaluate some of the data.



NO TRACE OF BULLET OR SIMILAR OBJECT



The shared preliminary assessment report stated that the helicopter continued on its predetermined route without changing its flight path and that the pilot communicated with the pilots of the other two helicopters one and a half minutes before the accident.



The report mentioned that no trace of a bullet or similar external object was found on the parts of the crashed helicopter, and it was noted that a fire broke out in the helicopter after the crash.



NO SUSPICIOUS SITUATION IN THE CONVERSATIONS OF THE FLIGHT CREW



The report pointed out that the rugged terrain and cold and foggy weather in the region caused the search and rescue operations to be prolonged, and it was stated that the accident site could only be reached by early morning. The report stated that no suspicious situation was encountered in the conversations between the control tower and the flight crew. It was stated that the definitive results of the investigation will be shared after the completion of the examination.



HELICOPTER CRASH AND AFTERMATH



President Raisi attended the dam opening ceremony on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on May 19. Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian and some officials, had a helicopter crash on the return journey. Upon Iran's request, Turkey assigned the Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for search and rescue operations. The coordinates of the helicopter wreckage detected by the Akıncı UAV were shared with Iranian authorities.



Iranian teams that reached the designated point reported that there were no survivors from the crash. After the confirmation of Raisi's death, Muhammad Muhbir was appointed as the temporary president, and Ali Bakiri Keni, who was the Deputy Foreign Minister, was appointed as the temporary Foreign Minister in place of Abdollahian.