Iran's Presidential Chief of Staff Reveals New Details of Moments After Helicopter Crash

Section 1: The Flight and Weather Conditions According to Esmaili, the three helicopters departed from the ceremony site while the weather conditions were normal. The flight started smoothly, with perfect weather in the mountainous region of Varzeghan where the crash occurred. However, approximately 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot of President Raisi's helicopter ordered the other helicopters to increase altitude to avoid a cloud. Unfortunately, the president's helicopter disappeared while flying between the two others. Section 2: Efforts to Locate the Missing Helicopter Esmaili described the frantic moments following the disappearance of the president's helicopter. The pilot of the helicopter Esmaili was in circled around to search for the missing aircraft. Several attempts were made to contact the president's helicopter through radio devices, but there was no response. The pilot of Esmaili's helicopter was unable to decrease altitude due to the cloud cover, and they continued their flight to land at a nearby copper mine. Section 3: Communication Breakdown and Rescue Efforts Esmaili revealed that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the head of the president's protection unit, who were onboard the missing helicopter, did not respond to repeated calls after it went missing. However, a glimmer of hope emerged when Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Alehashem, the Friday prayer Imam in Tabriz, answered the pilot's phone. Alehashem informed them that the helicopter had crashed into a valley and he was in critical condition. Sadly, despite his survival for at least three hours after the crash, Alehashem eventually succumbed to his injuries.