Rescue workers: Iran president's helicopter found

Tehran, May 20 (IANS/DPA) Rescue teams in Iran have found the helicopter believed to have crashed with President Ebrahim Raisi Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian and seven others on board.

After a search operation lasting several hours, the emergency services were still around 2 kilometres away from the site and had identified the helicopter, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir-Hussein Kuliwand, said on state television early on Monday morning.

Rescue workers in Iran continued their search on foot Sunday for the helicopter carrying nine people, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, after it went missing in mountainous terrain, state media reported.

A total of 65 rescue teams, including from the Iranian armed forces, had been deployed to East Azerbaijan Province in Iran's northwest, where the helicopter had been located.

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