Helicopter Crash Kills 1, Injures Minister

A helicopter carrying Iran’s sports minister crashed Thursday in the country’s south, killing one of his aides and injuring him as well as 16 other people.
The minister, Hamid Sajjadi, suffered a head injury and brain bleed in the accident which occurred when the helicopter was landing at a stadium in Baft, a town in Kerman Province, IRNA reported.
His adviser, Esmaeil Ahmadi, died and another 16 people including the minister, four crew members and other officials were injured, IRNA added, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
“The minister has a brain hemorrhage, but his general condition is stable,” Mohammad Saberi, the head of the Red Crescent in the province, said on television.
The Red Crescent helicopter hit the ground when it was landing and had been a few meters off the ground.
Sanctions-hit Iran has suffered several air disasters in recent years, with officials complaining of difficulties in acquiring spare parts to keep its aging fleets in the air.