Video Shows Moments Before Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s Helicopter Crashes

Hours after the Iranian officials confirmed the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a helicopter crash, videos have emerged showing minutes before the tragic incident unfolded. 

A video of President Raisi has surfaced online showing him sitting in the helicopter before the accident and is being shared widely across social media platforms.

Other than the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the crash that happened on Sunday took the lives of several significant state officials including Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem, and head of security.

The pilot, copilot, and crew chief also succumbed to death. Raisi was on his way back home after inaugurating a dam with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. 

A video released by Iranian state media shows Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sitting idly before he died in the helicopter crash. The Iranian president is seen sitting near the aircraft window and captured looking out of the window. 

Video footage of inside the helicopter 🚁 carrying Raisi moments before the crash. pic.twitter.com/kDZrL8lVOM

— Rastakhiz (@sedaye_iran) May 19, 2024

In one of the other videos, Raisi is seen sitting among the officials. The video begins with his muddy shoes.

🚨🇮🇷 Footage captures Iranian President Raisi’s muddy shoes in the helicopter, moments before the crash. pic.twitter.com/QwtKKKourS

— Abdul Quadir – عبدالقادر (@Northistan) May 20, 2024

There have been videos going viral showing the search-and-rescue teams extracting bodies from the crash site. Rain and terrain are making it difficult to collect debris or remains of the dead from the accident zone. 

Search-and-Rescue Teams have begun to Extract several Bodies from the Crash Site of Late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s Helicopter in Northwestern Iran; however, the Combination of Rain and the Steep Terrain is making it Difficult for Teams to reach the Road. pic.twitter.com/TXeu62RPpB

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 20, 2024

As per the Reuters report, the aircraft was completely burnt after the crash landing and visuals of scattered debris and detached helicopter parts are also making rounds on the internet. 

Remember: Mossad presence in Azerbaijan is huge…
Two of the three helicopters managed to land safely while the third (the best of the three) carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed.

What do you think about it? pic.twitter.com/MrEdS3ThiG

— Nadira Ali🇵🇸 (@Nadira_ali12) May 20, 2024

Iranian media reports suggest that the helicopter crashed due to bad weather and thick fog at around 1 pm near the city of Varzaghan. 

After the death of Raisi, Mohammad Mokhber is likely to take over as the interim president. Mohammad Mokhber is Iran’s first Vice President and with this has also become the first interim president of the country. Like Raisi, Mokhber also is closely associated to the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.