Türkiye sending night vision search helicopter, 32 rescuers, 6 vehicles to help Iran find president's crashed copter

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) announced on Sunday that the country is sending a night vision search and rescue helicopter and 32 rescuers following a request from Iran.

"Iran has requested a night vision search and rescue helicopter from Türkiye" through the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the agency said on X.

"32 search and rescue mountaineers from the Van and Erzurum branches of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and 6 vehicles are en route to the area," it added.

Also, "15 mountaineer search and rescue personnel from Ankara, Diyarbakir, and Konya are on standby," the agency said and added it is closely monitoring the situation for further developments.

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reportedly made a hard landing due to weather conditions while returning from a dam inauguration ceremony on the Azerbaijan border.

The Iranian Red Crescent previously announced that the "crash" occurred between Kaleybar and Varzaqan. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi emphasized that rescue teams had not yet reached the area.

East Azerbaijan Deputy Governor Jabbarali Zakiri stated that two of the three helicopters in Raisi's convoy had landed, while one had crashed.

The helicopter carrying Raisi included several officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.