Thousands of Iranians take to streets to bid farewell to Ebrahim Raisi

• Large number of Iranians march in eastern city of Birjand.
• Late president to be buried in Mashhad at Imam Reza shrine.
• FM to be buried at shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim in Shahr-Rey town.
  

TEHRAN: Thousands of Iranians took to the streets on Thursday to bid farewell to their late president Ebrahim Raisi and attend his funeral rites who was confirmed dead on Monday.

Thousands of people, holding placards of Raisi and waving flags, marched in the eastern city of Birjand on Thursday morning to bid the president farewell — a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led his funeral prayers in Tehran.

The late president will be buried at the holy shrine of Imam Reza, a renowned mausoleum in the northeastern city of Mashhad today, reported Reuters.

President Raisi, 63, was travelling with his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other high officials when their helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwest while returning from a dam inauguration.

Those accompanying the Iranian president included Supreme Leader Khamenei's representative Ali Ale-Hashem, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, two bodyguards, two pilots and one crew member.

All passengers, including Raisi, were declared dead when charred wreckage of the Bell 212 helicopter was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.

Tehran has launched an investigation into the helicopter crash with Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri constituting a probe committee headed by Brigadier Ali Abdollahi. 

It was reported that the findings of the incident’s investigation would be made public.

Large photos of Raisi and black flags have been erected throughout the streets of Iran's second city, particularly around the Imam Reza shrine.

Meanwhile, FM Abdollahian will be buried at the shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim in the town of Shahr-Rey south of the capital today.