Connect with us

World

Iran's president, foreign minister, other officials confirmed dead in helicopter crash

Published

on

Iran's president, foreign minister, other officials confirmed dead in helicopter crash

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials were confirmed dead on Monday after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of the country’s northwest, Iranian state media reported.

State TV said earlier on Monday that there was “no sign of life” at the crash site of the helicopter that was carrying 63-year-old Raisi, 60-year-old Abdollahian and other officials after it made a “hard landing” on Sunday.

The crash site was across a steep valley, according to state media, which gave no immediate cause for the crash.

As the sun rose on Monday, rescuers saw the helicopter from a distance of roughly 1.25 miles, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pir Hossein Kolivand told state media. The officials had been missing for more than 12 hours when the helicopter was observed.

IRANIAN PRESIDENT EXPERIENCES ‘HARD LANDING’ IN HELICOPTER: IRANIAN MEDIA

Advertisement

There was “no sign of life” reported Monday at the crash site of the helicopter that was carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials, according to Iranian state media. (Ali Hamed Haghdoust/IRNA via AP)

Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian were traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province when the helicopter made what state TV described as a “hard landing” near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, roughly 375 miles northwest of Tehran. State TV later said it crashed further east near the village of Uzi, although details remained contradictory.

The governor of the East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards were also aboard, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. One local government official described what happened as a “crash,” while others referred to it as a “hard landing” or an “incident.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi (R) attend a bilateral agreement signing in Havana, Cuba, at the Revolution Palace on June 15, 2023. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP)

“The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog,” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in comments aired on state TV.

Advertisement

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF RAISI’S DEATH? AN IRAN EXPERT WEIGHS IN

Rescue teams are seen near the crash site of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran. (Azin Haghighi, Moj News Agency via AP)

The incident comes as Iran, under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack against Israel last month.

Iran has also faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy in response to a struggling economy and attacks on women’s rights.

Advertisement

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

DR Congo says 1,307 Ebola cases confirmed, including 377 deaths

Published

on

DR Congo says 1,307 Ebola cases confirmed, including 377 deaths

Outbreak spreads to a fourth province, Haut-Uele, bordering South Sudan and the CAR, according to a media report.

⁠The Democratic Republic ⁠of the Congo (DRC) says confirmed ‌Ebola cases in the country have reached 1,307 and include ⁠377 deaths.

In an update issued late on Monday, the country said the confirmed cases ⁠have been ⁠recorded ⁠in three provinces – Ituri, ‌North Kivu and ‌South ‌Kivu.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

The announcement comes as the AFP news agency reported that a case has been detected in a fourth province. A source at the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) quoted by AFP said the viral haemorrhagic fever has spread to Haut-Uele, which borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Advertisement

The source said the case there was detected after an infected person travelled from Bunia, Ituri’s capital, to Haut-Uele.

That person has since died, another health source told AFP.

Authorities are now trying to trace the chain of transmission and identify contacts.

Its spread to Haut-Uele means the DRC’s entire northeast, home to about 15 million people, is now affected.

The conflict-hit province of Ituri is the epicentre of the country’s latest Ebola outbreak, its 17th, which started in May.

Advertisement

In many cases, the virus has spread at funerals, where the highly infectious bodies of Ebola victims are handled.

For weeks, aid workers, facing mistrust among local communities, have struggled to plan safe burials in affected areas to prevent contact with the dead.

In the DRC, funerals often last several days, during which family members and friends touch the body of the deceased.

Reporting from a treatment centre in Rwampara in Ituri province, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Wambua-Soi said health workers often lack sufficient equipment.

“These centres have been attacked several times. Last month, tents here were set on fire by an angry mob. Some Congolese still distrust those trying to help,” she said.

Advertisement

“They need more of everything: protective gear, medicines, rapid test kits … and body bags.”

On Saturday, the government issued a ban on public gatherings in four ⁠provinces, including the country’s capital, Kinshasa, as it continues to battle the spread of the outbreak.

That order was issued before a planned protest in Kinshasa on July 8 against constitutional reform, and opposition figures have called the ban “politically motivated.”

Continue Reading

World

Russia's ruling party runs Ukraine war veteran among lead candidates for September election

Published

on

Russia's ruling party runs Ukraine war veteran among lead candidates for September election
Russia’s ruling party on Sunday announced it would run an injured Ukraine war veteran and a television war correspondent, alongside ​the country’s foreign minister and the mayor of Moscow, as ‌lead candidates in a parliamentary election due in September.
Continue Reading

World

Gunman kills 6 at youth welfare facility in suspected child custody dispute: reports

Published

on

Gunman kills 6 at youth welfare facility in suspected child custody dispute: reports

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A suspect is in custody after six people were shot and killed Monday at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany, officials said.

The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations. Five were pronounced dead at the scene, while a sixth died later at a hospital, according to The Associated Press, citing authorities.

Several others were wounded in the shooting, which may have been tied to a child custody dispute, the outlet reported.

2 PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN A KNIFE ATTACK IN GERMANY; SCHOLZ SAYS THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES

Advertisement

The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. (News5/Reuters)

Police said the shooting happened at a facility on Dankersstrasse that houses pregnant women and young mothers with children, according to The Associated Press.

The suspect, a 45-year-old man, had an appointment at the facility earlier in the day before the shooting unfolded around midday. His 3-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were safe, Reuters reported.

The suspected gunman was arrested. Police said two others were also subject to police measures on suspicion of involvement but did not provide additional details, according to The Associated Press.

CHILDREN AMONG 6 WOUNDED IN MARYLAND MASS SHOOTING AS DETECTIVES WORK TO DETERMINE WHAT OCCURRED

Advertisement

Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations.  (News5/Reuters)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “deeply shocked” by the violence at a place meant to protect women and children.

“The horrific act of violence in Stade claimed the lives of six people today. I am deeply shaken by the extent of the violence in a place that is meant to provide protection,” Steinmeier said. 

“My condolences go to the families of the dead and injured, who must endure so much pain. My thanks go to all first responders and doctors.”

SUSPECT ‘NEUTRALIZED’ AFTER MONTREAL SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD INCLUDING OFFICER

Advertisement

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. (News5/Reuters)

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. Investigators were still collecting evidence Monday evening, Reuters reported.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Mass shootings in Germany are rare.

Earlier this year, a car plowed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, killing two people and leaving several others seriously injured.

Advertisement

Stade Police could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending