The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said on Monday that it was with great regret they learned that the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Imam Solat Jumaat Bandar Tabriz Hojjatoleslam Al Hashem, and their accompanying staff lost their lives in a chopper crash on Sunday.

According to a statement issued by the IEA, “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and all Afghans are deeply saddened and affected by this tragic accident.

“We share this grief with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the people of that country, and offer our condolences to all the families of the victims, the nation and the government of Iran,” read the statement.

The announcement also stated: “In this difficult situation, we are with the people of Iran and we pray for forgiveness to all the victims of this accident and patience to their families.”

On Monday morning, an Iranian official confirmed the deaths of the president and foreign minister.

This comes after rescuers searched through the night in mountains in the north west of the country for the crash site.

The helicopter had been returning to Tabriz after the president and foreign minister visited a dam project on the border with Azerbaijan.

The chopper went down in bad weather in remote mountains that are heavily forested.

The United Nations says 540 people died as a result of recent floods in Afghanistan. The agency investigating the effects of the climate crisis in developing countries has said that as a result of these floods, 3,000 houses were also destroyed.

“Last week, we saw dangerous floods around the world, it has caused financial and life losses for many people. In Afghanistan, 540 people died and 3,000 houses were destroyed,” said Maria Lopes, representative of the Climate Crisis Impact Assessment Office at the UN.

At the same time, a delegation from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office of Economic Affairs has traveled to Ghor province and local officials have said that emergency aid including food, medicine and temporary shelters have been provided to the flood victims.

The spokesman of Ghor governor, Abdul Wahid Hamas, said that the number of victims as a result of floods in this province has reached 55 people. According to him, 3,000 houses in this province were destroyed and thousands more were badly damaged.

“We ask the Islamic Emirate to reach out to the people. None of us saw sympathy from the Emirate, no one came to show us at least a little sympathy,” said a flood victim of Ghor.

The casualties and damage caused by the floods in Afghanistan have also been met with international concern. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that due to the floods, hundreds of people have died, thousands of houses have been destroyed and this flood has led to a human disaster.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its gratitude to the countries and international organizations that have expressed sympathy with the people of Afghanistan and helped the flood victims, a statement read.

The recent floods in the country, especially in Baghlan, show that Afghanistan is more vulnerable to climate change and that the country needs long-term assistance from the international community.

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, an Iranian official told Reuters.

According to the official, rescuers were making their way to the site of the incident.

The official said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash”, which happened on the way back from a visit to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan.

“We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The bad weather was complicating rescue efforts, the state news agency IRNA reported. The chief of staff of Iran’s army ordered all the resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guard to be put to use in the search and rescue operations.

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is monitoring, with concern and hope, the fate of the aircraft carrying the Islamic Republic of Iran President H.E. Ibrahim Raisi; Iranian Minister, Mr. Hossein Amir Abdullahian and their companions, and hopes that the rescue team would succeed in locating President Raisi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stands by the government and people of its brotherly and neighboring country in these hard times and hopes that no untoward incident has happened, the IEA stated.