A view shows flowers outside the Iranian embassy placed to pay tribute to Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other victims of a recent helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near Iran's border with Azerbaijan, in Moscow, Russia, May 20, 2024. A placard with a portrait of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi reads: "We mourn".
Credit: Reuters Photo
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.
The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
"President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash," a senior Iranian official told Reuters, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Raisi's death was later confirmed in a statement on social media by Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and on state television.
In this context, let us have a look at world leaders who have lost their lives in aircraft accidents:
Abdul Salam Arif
The second president of Iraq, Abdul Salam Arif died when an Iraqi Air Force de Havilland DH.104 Dove 1 plane crashed in southern Iraq on April 13, 1966.
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
The Pakistani military dictator who led the coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977 died in a plane crash. The incident occurred on August 17, 1988.
Ramon Magsaysay
The former Phillipines President, after whom the Ramon Magsaysay Award is named, also died in an aircraft crash. The accident occurred on March 17, 1957.
José Félix Estigarribia
Probably the first world leader to have died in a plane crash, José Félix Estigarribia served as the president of Paraguay for merely a year. He died in a crash on September 7, 1940 along with his wife.
René Barrientos
The former Bolivian leader who had crushed a rebellion against him organised by Che Guevara died in a helicopter crash on April 27, 1969.
Barthélemy Boganda
The first Premier of the Central African Republic, Barthélemy Boganda died in a plane crash on March 29, 1959. All four members of the crew and five passengers were found dead.