Facts about Iran President Ebrahim Raisi

 Iran President Ebrahim Raisi died in a plane crash on Sunday

Raisi died alongside his Foreign Minister, Hossein Abdollahian and other senior officials.

President Raisi made his first visit to the African continent in July 2023 and one of the countries he visited was Kenya.

News of his passing was confirmed on Monday morning, after hours of searching by rescue units.

The IRNA state news agency says that also on board were Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, the imam for Friday prayers in the city of Tabriz, and General Malek Rahmati, the governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.

The commander of the president’s protection unit, Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, was also killed, as were several bodyguards and helicopter crew who have not yet been named.

The details of what happened remain unclear.