Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, according to state media and government officials on Monday. Besides Raisi and Amirabdollahian, six others died in the crash on Sunday evening. The helicopter’s charred wreckage, which crashed on Sunday, was discovered on Monday following overnight rescue efforts. The rescue team couldn’t reach the crash site on Sunday evening due to heavy rains and fog in the region. Political leaders and heads of state worldwide expressed condolences over Ebrahim Raisi’s death.
Numerous politicians, not just Raisi, have lost their lives in aircraft crashes. Let’s review some of them. 5 politicians who died in a plane crash:
1. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, President of Pakistan
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on 17, 1988, at the age of 64. He was en route to Islamabad when contact with his C-130B aircraft was lost shortly before it was due to land.
2. Sebastian Pinera, President of Chile
Sebastian Pinera, the former President of Chile, died at the age of 74 in a helicopter crash. On 6, 2024, his helicopter crashed into a lake in southern Chile. All the other passengers, including his sister, survived the crash.
3. Arvid Lindman, Prime Minister of Sweden
Arvid Lindman, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, passed away at the age of 74 in England when his aircraft crashed due to bad weather. His Douglas DC-2 aircraft crashed into houses near Croydon Airport shortly after taking off in thick fog.
4. Abdul Salam Arif, President of Iraq
Abdul Salam Arif, the second President of Iraq, died at the age of 45 in 1966 when his Iraqi Air Force aircraft crashed. The de Havilland DH.104 Dove aircraft he was traveling in malfunctioned and crashed about 10 km from Basra. His brother, Abdul Rahman Arif, succeeded him as president.
5. Rashid Karami, Prime Minister of Lebanon
Rashid Karami died at the age of 65 in 1987 after a bomb exploded in his Aérospatiale Puma helicopter. He was on his way to Beirut when the bomb detonated. Karami was the only casualty, while over 30 people were injured.