India declares state mourning on May 21 after Iran President Ebrahim Raisi's death

Ebrahim Raisi death: During this mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is customarily displayed.

Published on: May 20, 2024, 18:10:34 IST

By HT News Desk

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The government of India declared a one-day state mourning on Tuesday as a mark of respect to Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who died in a helicopter crash.

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi died in a chopper crash. (AP)

During this period of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is customarily displayed. There will be no official entertainment throughout the day.

The 63-year-old Raisi and his entourage were heading to the northwestern city of Tabriz after returning from a visit to a locality on the Azerbaijan-Iran border on Sunday when their helicopter crashed in northwestern Iran. Raisi, Abdollahian and a number of other officials onboard the chopper were found dead Monday at the site of the helicopter crash.

Ebrahim Raisi death: 5 politicians who died in plane crash

A home ministry spokesperson said Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Hossein Amit-Abdollahian, the country's foreign minister, passed away in a helicopter crash.

"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 spokesperson 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 official added.

Read: Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric who brought Iran closer to Russia, China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise" of Raisi, adding that "India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also expressed shock over the death of Raisi and his Iranian counterpart.

“Deeply shocked to hear of the passing away of Iran's President Dr Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister H. Amir-Abdollahian in the helicopter crash,” Jaishankar said on X.

"Recall my many meetings with them, most recently in January 2024. Our condolences to their families. We stand with the people of Iran at time of this tragedy," he said.

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HT News Desk
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