Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who tragically died in a helicopter crash, has been laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad. After a series of ceremonies, the late president was buried in the mausoleum of Imam Ali Al-Reza in Mashhad on Thursday.
Raisi's body was brought to Mashhad's Nejad International Airport by plane on Thursday afternoon local time, four days after his untimely death. Thousands gathered at the airport to bid him farewell. His coffin was then transported in a well-equipped truck to Imam Reza's shrine, with mourners carrying large pictures of Raisi, black flags, and various Shia symbols through the city streets.
The funeral in Mashhad was attended not only by ordinary Iranians but also by leaders from various countries, presidents, ambassadors, and other international dignitaries. Raisi's body had earlier been taken to Birjand in South Khorasan province, where people also paid their respects.
President Raisi tragically died in a helicopter crash on Sunday night. Accompanying him were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and eight others. On Wednesday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei presided over a funeral for all nine victims in Tehran, held at the University of Tehran. The funeral procession continued to Azadi Square, with countless mourners participating.
Earlier, Raisi's funeral was held in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan Province, where thousands of mourners gathered. Following the ceremonies in Tabriz, the bodies of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were taken to the historic city of Qom in central Iran, where they were also mourned.
President Raisi had inaugurated two dams near the border with Azerbaijan on Sunday. Following the inauguration, he and his entourage were traveling to the city of Tabriz by helicopter when it crashed in the mountainous area. On Monday morning, search teams discovered the wreckage in a snow-covered region of East Azerbaijan province.
The accident claimed the lives of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, Head of Presidential Guard Mehdi Mousavi, and the helicopter's pilot and co-pilot. The nation mourns the loss of these prominent leaders.
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