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No foul play in crash that killed president, Iran says

Iranian rescue teams recover the bodies from the crash site of the Iranian presidential helicopter in the dense forest of Dizmar between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in East Azerbaijan province, Iran on May 20, 2024Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Fog and low temperatures hindered the work of rescue teams

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A preliminary report on the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday has found no evidence of criminal activity, state media say.

The aircraft 鈥渃aught fire after hitting an elevated area鈥 and no traces of 鈥渂ullet holes鈥 have been detected among the wreckage, the army report says.

The helicopter had been flying on a 鈥減re-planned route and did not leave the designated flight path鈥, it states.

The military committee investigating the crash added that more details would come as the inquiry advanced.

President Ebrahim Raisi was buried in his home city of Mashhad on Thursday, four days after the helicopter went down while returning from a dam inauguration on the border with Azerbaijan.

The aircraft - a decades-old, US-made Bell 212 - hit a mountainside as it flew toward the north-western city of Tabriz in heavy rain.

"Nothing suspicious has been observed in the control tower's conversations with the flight crew," the preliminary report said.

It added: "Signs of gunshot or similar were not observed in the wreckage."

The aircraft was found by drones on Monday but the 鈥渃omplexity of the area, fog and low temperatures鈥 hindered the work of rescue teams, according to the report.

A statement from the military broadcast on Thursday said the final communication from the president鈥檚 helicopter was recorded about 90 seconds before the crash.

The 63-year old president was travelling with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, three other officials and the helicopter鈥檚 three crew. There were no survivors.

Tehran has announced five days of mourning. Tens of thousands of people have taken part in the funeral processions.

Raisi, a hardline cleric, was seen as a potential successor to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Acting President Mohammad Mokhber will serve until an election is held on 28 June.

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