What we know about the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Raisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been declared dead at age 63. Rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region early Monday.

All nine passengers aboard have been declared dead, including Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Follow CGTN's live updates on the situation here.

What happened to the helicopter?

Bad weather forced the helicopter carrying Raisi and other senior officials into a hard landing in the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan on Sunday.

State media reported that images from the site showed the Bell 212 helicopter slammed into a mountain peak, although there has been no official word on the cause of the crash.

Iran's Red Crescent chief, Pirhossein Koolivand, has confirmed that its staff was "transferring the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz" and that "the search operations have come to an end."

What happens next?

Under the country's constitution, if a president dies in office, the first vice president takes over for an interim period of 50 days, and a new presidential election is held at the end of the 50 days.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Monday that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is in charge of the executive branch and has a maximum of 50 days to hold elections following the death of Raisi, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. 

Khamenei has also declared five days of national mourning.

After an emergency meeting, the country's cabinet issued a statement, pledging to follow Raisi's path and that "with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with management of the country." The cabinet later appointed top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister.

International reaction

World leaders have expressed condolences over Raisi's death on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences, saying that since Raisi took office, he made important contributions to maintaining Iran's security and stability and promoting national development and prosperity. He added that Raisi also made positive efforts to consolidate and deepen the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Raisi as a "true friend of Russia" and said his death was an "irreplaceable loss," the Kremlin said.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday expressed sorrow over the death of "a great friend," saying that the Iranian president will be missed and remembered in Iran, Pakistan and the Islamic world for his efforts to enhance relations with regional and Islamic countries.

Lebanon and Syria on Monday announced three days of national mourning following the deaths.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official told Reuters it was not involved in the helicopter crash. "It wasn't us," said the official, who requested anonymity.

(With input from agencies)