
The Iranian army on Thursday evening published the findings of the investigation into the crash of the helicopter which carried President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others.
According to the initial investigation, it appears that the helicopter crashed after hitting a hill and then caught fire. The army stressed that the helicopter was not shot at.
The findings revealed that no evidence of bullet impact was found on the remains of the helicopter. "Additional time will be required to determine the full circumstances of the crash," the army said.
The helicopter was located after about 14 hours of searches. It was completely burned and no signs of life were found at the site of the crash.
From a preliminary investigation it emerged that the Russian-made MI 171 helicopter was part of an entourage of three helicopters, and while the other two reached their destination, the helicopter which carried Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian disappeared on the way to the East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran.