Türkiye will observe one-day of national mourning after the helicopter crash Sunday that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi along with seven others, including the country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the day of collective mourning aims to “share the deep pain experienced by the Iranian people.” Erdogan added that he had conveyed his condolences to Iran’s acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, during a phone call earlier in the day
“We contacted the Iranian authorities and mobilized all our resources to contribute to the search and rescue efforts after the crash,” Erdoğan said, adding, “We will continue to act in the same spirit.”
On Sunday, Türkiye dispatched a Bayraktar Akinci drone along with a Cougar helicopter and dozens of emergency personnel to support the search efforts after the helicopter crashed in the Dizmar forest in East Azerbaijan province.
Turkish Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said earlier Monday that the location of the crash site was established “through the detections” made by the Akinci.
Erdogan also praised the drone’s role in the efforts. “Akinci carried out a search in the region for 7.5 hours, flying a total of 2,100 kilometers,” he said. “It returned to our country after successfully completing its mission.”
The crash “revealed the importance of” the high-altitude UAV, Erdoğan added.