Iran president Raisi's helicopter caught fire soon after crash, no sign of attack

NEW DELHI: In the initial

investigation report

on

Iran

's president Ebrahim Raisi's

helicopter crash

, military officials announced on Friday that the chopper caught fire after colliding with a mountain, dismissing any signs of an attack. The general staff of the armed forces, responsible for investigating the crash, stated that there was no blame assigned yet and that further details would be provided after more investigation.
The crash, which occurred on Sunday, resulted in the deaths of

president Raisi

, the country’s foreign minister, and six others.

The general staff's statement indicated that communications between the control tower and the helicopter crew before the crash revealed nothing suspicious, , according to the investigation report quoted by local media sources.
The final communication occurred 90 seconds before the crash between the crashed helicopter and two accompanying helicopters.
No evidence of anything being shot at the helicopter was found, and its flight path remained unchanged.

A report by the Iranian armed forces on Thursday confirmed no "bullet marks or similar cases" on the remains of the Bell 212 chopper, suggesting no attack on Raisi and his entourage.
The pilot's communications with the accompanying helicopters indicated no route change, and the helicopter caught fire after hitting the rugged mountainside, where it was found after more than 15 hours of searching.
The army said that more time is needed to reach a final conclusion. Iran has treated the crash as a natural incident due to bad weather and has not blamed any specific country.

Iranian state media identified the crashed helicopter as a Bell 212, a model developed by a US company for the Canadian army in the 1960s. Washington stated that its weapons sanctions on Tehran were not to blame for the incident.
"Ultimately, it is the Iranian government that is responsible for the decision to fly a 45-year-old helicopter in poor weather conditions, not any other actor," said US spokesperson Mathew Miller.
( with input from agencies)