Recently, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other state dignitaries crashed in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, killing all on board. Against this backdrop, a picture is being circulated on social media showing Raisi disembarking from a helicopter, suggesting that he survived the May 19, 2024 crash.
The Facebook post reads: “🇮🇷 Iran’s President and delegates are safe!! H.I. Ibrahim Raisi and all top officials, including FM are confirmed safe following the emergency landing of helicopters due to harsh foggy weather conditions. Beware of rumours and pray for the safety of all those involved. #Iran.”
The above post can be seen here. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FAKE.
Running a Reverse Image Search of the viral image, the NM team spotted the same image uploaded on Alamy — a stock photography agency, in July 2022. As per its description, the image was taken during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Firuzkuh following the floods. According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the floods claimed at least 56 lives and left 18 missing across various Iranian cities. The photograph is credited to the Iranian Presidency. A report by France 24 — an international news television network based in Paris — reveals that the week-long flooding in Firuzkuh in July 2022 resulted in at least 80 fatalities.
According to Reuters, the helicopter, carrying President Raisi, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six others, crashed due to heavy fog and adverse weather conditions, as reported by the BBC.
Thus, we can conclusivey say that the widely circulated image, claiming that President Raisi has survived the May 19 helicopter crash, is outdated.
