Iran declares five days of mourning after president killed in helicopter crash

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Monday five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash.

“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.

No immediate cause was given for the crash, which took place amid foggy conditions on Sunday as the president was returning from a trip to neighbouring Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam.

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The governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and the representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to East Azarbaijan province as well as bodyguards were also on board, the state-run Irna news agency reported.