Iran begins funeral of President Raisi, continues investigation into helicopter crash

The funeral on May 21 will begin with prayers and a procession in the northwestern city of Tabriz where the helicopter crashed, said Mohsen Mansouri, head of the funeral committee.

By the end of the day, the victims' bodies will be flown to the Shiite holy city of Qom, where many of Iran's theocratic elite are trained, before heading to the capital Tehran.

Mass ceremonies will be held at Tehran's giant Grand Mosque on May 22. All offices across the country will be closed on the day to allow for processions. Mr Raisi's body will then be transferred to the historic Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei will lead prayers.

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took off on May 19, 2024, before the crash. Photo: WANA

There was no indication that the crash was caused by impact from another party, and it was also unclear why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling on a helicopter that was decades old.

In the first moments after Mr Raisi's helicopter lost contact on the evening of May 19, Türkiye said it monitored whether the plane was giving any "signals" but could not detect anything.

"We immediately contacted the Iranian side. They also contacted us, but unfortunately the helicopter's signal system was turned off or it did not have a signal system," Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said.

Mr Uraloglu said initial indications suggested the crash may have been caused by foggy weather.

On May 20, Iranian media reported that the head of the country's military had appointed a commission to investigate the cause of the crash, which includes military and technical experts. A high-level delegation will travel to the crash site in East Azerbaijan.

Mr Raisi's death is expected to further destabilise Iran - a country already under significant economic and political pressure, with tensions with neighbouring Israel at dangerously high levels.

Hoai Phuong (according to CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/iran-bat-dau-tang-le-cua-tong-thong-raisi-tiep-tuc-dieu-tra-vu-tai-nan-may-bay-truc-thang-post296341.html