Thousands march in Iran to mourn Raisi on final day of funeral rites

Thousands have marched in Iran for the final day of funeral rites for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash earlier this week.

Raisi, 63, died on Sunday alongside his foreign minister and six others when their helicopter crashed in the country’s mountainous northwest while returning from a dam inauguration.

Thousands of people, holding placards of Raisi and waving flags, marched in the eastern city of Birjand on Thursday morning to bid him farewell.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who announced five days of mourning for those who died in the crash, led prayers in Tehran on Wednesday for Raisi’s funeral.

Raisi will be laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Reza, a mausoleum in the city of Mashhad, where the ultraconservative president was born.

He will become the first top politician in the country to be buried at the shrine, representing a significant honour for the former leader.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will also be buried on Thursday at the shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim in the town of Shahr-e Rey.

(Aljazeera)