Iran's final investigation into the fatal helicopter crash in May that claimed the life of President Ebrahim Raisi has concluded that the accident was caused by adverse weather conditions. The helicopter, carrying Raisi and seven others, crashed into a fog-covered mountainside in northern Iran.
The special investigative board cited "complex climatic and atmospheric conditions" in the region during the spring as the primary cause of the crash. The report highlighted that a "sudden emergence of a thick mass of dense and rising fog" led to the helicopter's collision with the mountain.
In a similar statement made in May, Iran's army found no evidence of foul play in the crash, which also took the life of Raisi's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. In August, Fars news agency reported that bad weather and the helicopter's inability to ascend with two extra passengers were the main causes of the crash, a claim later refuted by the Iranian armed forces as "completely false."
The final report brings closure to the investigation but leaves lingering questions about the protocols and safety measures in place during the tragic flight.
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