Funeral ceremonies began for the death of the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi

Iran started this Tuesday funeral ceremonies for President Ebrahim Raisí and Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian, who died on Sunday in a helicopter crash along with seven other people, and which will last for several days.

The events began in Tabriz, capital of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan and the largest city near the crash site in the mountainous area of ​​Varzeqan, Iranian television showed.

Thousands of people took to the streets from Tabriz to see the truck carrying the coffins of eight of the nine killed in the accident pass by, in a procession that left Shohada (Martyrs) Square and was destined for the great Mosala mosque.

The streets of that city were a flood of turbans, the garment worn by clerics in the Islamic Republic, and photos of Raisí that those attending the events wore.

Shops, schools and government offices were closed in the city, something that did not happen throughout the country, on the second of the five days of mourning dictated by Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Following the events in Tabriz, the coffins will be transported this afternoon to the holy city of Qom, one of the main centers of predominant Shiite Islam in the country, and will arrive in Tehran tomorrow, Wednesday.

In the Iranian capital, foreign authorities are expected to participate in what will be a non-working day throughout the country.

After the capital, an event will be held on Thursday in the city of Birjand, where Raisí was a representative in the Assembly of Experts, the body in charge of electing the supreme leader in case of vacancy, and finally that same day the deceased will be buried in the holy city of Mashad (northwest).

The helicopter in which Raisí and his companions were traveling disappeared on Sunday when it was returning from Tabriz along with two other devices – which reached their destination without problems – in what the official IRNA agency has described as a “technical failure.”

The device – an American ‘Bell 212’ acquired in the 1970s – was found a day later with the lifeless bodies of its occupants.

The governor of East Azerbaijan, Malik Rahmati, the leader of Friday prayers in the city of Tabriz, Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, also died in the accident, as well as two pilots of the aircraft, a flight attendant, the chief presidential security and a guard.

Khamenei approved this Monday that the first vice president, Mohamad Mojber, be named interim president of the country.

Iran will hold presidential elections on June 28.

With information from EFE.

IS