BREAKING: Powerful Iranian Imam survived helicopter crash for an hour and tried to raise help

As more details emerge about the helicopter crash, a harrowing picture is taking shape.

One of the passengers on board was Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, Friday Prayer Imam of Tabriz, the city the convoy was travelling to.

According to Mohammad Nami, head of Iran’s Crisis Management Agency, Al-Hashem survived for a whole hour after the crash. He even tried to make contact with the president’s office.

“No DNA tests were needed to identify the passengers,” says Nami. In total, nine people including the flight crew were killed in the helicopter crash.