Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash attributed to weather and overloading

Shafaq News/ The helicopter crash that resulted in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other officials in May was caused by adverse weather conditions, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency on Wednesday.

Citing an informed source, Fars News revealed that the helicopter was overburdened, contributing to the crash. These findings were confirmed in the final investigation report.

The unnamed security source told Fars, "The investigation into President Raisi's helicopter crash is complete... There is absolute certainty that the incident was an accident."

The source identified two primary causes: unsuitable weather conditions during the crash and the helicopter's inability to handle the excessive weight onboard, which led to the aircraft colliding with a mountain.

The investigation also found that the helicopter carried two more passengers than recommended by security protocols.

President Raisi was traveling to Tabriz in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province after the crash occurred after inaugurating a dam near the Azerbaijan border.

Reports from the crash site indicated that heavy fog in the mountainous terrain delayed rescue teams from reaching the wreckage for several hours.

The helicopter involved in the crash was a Bell 212 model.

Two months after the crash, reformist Masoud Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential election, defeating conservative candidate Saeed Jalili.