Spokesperson for Guterres’ office Stéphane Dujarric said on Sunday that the UN chief was following reports of the incident with concern. 

“The Secretary-General is following reports of an incident with Iranian President Raisi’s aircraft with concern. He hopes for the safety of the President and his entourage,” said Dujarric. 

Earlier on Sunday, President Raisi was returning from a ceremony to open a dam on Iran’s border with the Azerbaijan Republic, when his helicopter crashed upon landing in Varzaqan region.

Dozens of teams have been dispatched to the region to locate the crash site. The search operation is still underway, but officials say bad weather conditions are hampering the efforts.