President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has sent condolences following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.
In a post on X, Muizzu said "our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and people of Iran at this time of profound grief."
"I pray to Almighty Allah to bless the souls of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian, and others who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident and to grant them Jannatul Firdaus," he added.
The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has also sent a message of condolence following the tragic event.
According to Reuters, the charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
"President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash," a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Raisi's death was later confirmed in a statement on social media by Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and on state television.
State TV reported that images from the site showed the aircraft slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash.
State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.
Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021. He served as Iran's Prosecutor General from 2014 to 2016.
