A one-day state mourning will be observed across India on Tuesday as a mark of respect for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, the Union Home Ministry has announced.
“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries, the government of India has decided that there will be one day’s state mourning on May 21 (Tuesday) throughout India,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.
“On the day of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day,” the statement further added.
The Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, Iran state media reported.
“The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, had an accident while serving and performing his duty for the people of Iran and was martyred,” stated the Iranian news agency Mehr.
As per the report, the helicopter carrying Raisi met with an accident in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province as it flew in bad weather conditions.
The accident took place in Dizmar’s mountainous protected forest area near the town of Varzaghan, as reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran announces 5 days of mourning
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei offered condolences to the people of his country and announced five days of public mourning for Raisi.
“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” Khamenei said in a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.
VP Mokhber to serve as Iran’s interim president
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Monday that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will take over as the interim president of Iran.
Khamenei made this announcement while declaring that the nation will observe a five-day mourning period.
As per a statement broadcast by Iran’s official news agency IRNA, he said: “… Mokhber will manage the executive branch and is obliged to arrange with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches to elect a new president within a maximum of 50 days.”
Mokhber, as per Reuters, like the deceased Raisi, is also seen as a close ally of the supreme leader Khamenei.
He first became Iran’s vice president, when Raisi was elected president in 2021.