Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the dispatch of two planes and helicopters with a group of 50 rescuers to help in the search for the helicopter of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which reportedly made a “hard landing” on Sunday and has not yet been found, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.
Putin's order was announced by his adviser Igor Levitin in a telephone conversation with Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.
“On Putin's orders, two modern planes with several helicopters and 50 rescue climbers on board will leave for the city of Tabriz within an hour,“ Levitin said, quoted by Tasnim news agency.
Later, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov increased the number of Russian rescuers to be sent to 60.
Tasnim news agency also reported that a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle "Bayraktar Akanji" entered Iranian airspace as part of a rescue operation in northwest Iran.
Assistance in the search for the helicopter carrying Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has been offered by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries, as well as the European Union.