Funeral procession for Iranian president Raisi begins as thousands of mourners pack streets after deadly chopper crash

THOUSANDS of Iranian mourners have gathered to honour the late President Ebrahim Raisi after he was killed in a helicopter crash.

Residents dressed in black walked sombrely through the streets on Tuesday morning for the funeral procession of Raisi and the seven members of his entourage who also died on Sunday.

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People attend a funeral ceremony for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his senior officials on Tuesday[/caption]

Brutish Raisi, known by some as “The Butcher”, was on Monday found dead in the charred wreckage of a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was among seven others – including General Malek Rahmati, the governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan – uncovered following an hours-long search for the helicopter in blizzard conditions.

Mourners were seen on Tuesday morning waving Iranian flags and portraits of Raisi as they left a central square in the northwestern city of Tabriz, where the president had been headed on Sunday.

All government offices and businesses in Iran will be closed today as the country begins three-day-long funerals for Raisi and Amirabdollahian.

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