Source : News18
Tehran (Iran): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and said he was “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise”. Iranian President Raisi and his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, an Iranian official said, after search teams located the wreckage in East Azerbaijan province.
“Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” Modi said in a post on X.
Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 20, 2024
The government also declared a day’s state mourning as a mark of respect for the deceased Iranian President and his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
“HE. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and HE. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have passed away in a helicopter crash,” the government said in a notification.
“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day’s state mourning on 21.05.2024 (Tuesday) throughout India. On the day of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day,” the government notification said.
During the period of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag on a regular basis.
Earlier, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has ultimate authority in Iran, declared five days of mourning.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also expressed his condolences over the tragic deaths of Iranian leaders and “India stands with the people of Iran at the time of this tragedy.”
“Deeply shocked to hear of the passing away of Iran’s President Dr Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister H. Amir-Abdollahian in the helicopter crash. Recall my many meetings with them, most recently in January 2024. Our condolences to their families. We stand with the people of Iran at time of this tragedy,” Jaishankar posted on X.
Details of the Iranian President’s Helicopter Crash
A helicopter carrying the Iranian President had an accident and made a hard landing in East Azerbaijan on Sunday, after a meeting between Raisi and the President of neighbouring Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Apart from the 63-year-old ultraconservative, the aircraft was also carrying Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Raisi had visited the northwestern province to inaugurate a dam project together with Aliyev, on their common border.
Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely”, said the Tasnim news agency.
How the World Reacted To Raisi’s Plane Crash
Countries across the world offered help with rescue efforts to locate Iran’s President Raisi after the news broke out that his helicopter was involved in an accident.
Expressions of concern and offers to help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani expressed gratitude to “governments and international organisations for their sympathy and offer of help in the search and rescue operations.”
