Iranian President Raisi feared dead as helicopter wreckage found

People follow the news of a crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, on a TV in a shop in Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2024. -Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

DUBAI (Reuters) - Hopes are fading that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister have survived a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, an Iranian official said on Monday (May 20) after search teams located the wreckage.

"President Raisi's helicopter was completely burned in the crash. Unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead," the official told Reuters.