Updated – May 21, 2024 12:03 pm IST
Published – May 21, 2024 11:40 am IST
File photo of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was found dead at the site of a helicopter crash site on May 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Sri Lanka is observing May 21, 2024, as a national day of mourning in view of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s sudden death. The island nation’s flag will fly at half-mast at all state institutions on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Public Administration.
“Sri Lanka is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and other senior Irani officials. I express my deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the bereaved families, the government and the people of Iran. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of President Raisi and his entourage,’ President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on social media platform ‘X’ on Monday.
Leaders across the country’s political spectrum condoled the passing of President Raisi, who was in Sri Lanka less than a month ago.
During his visit, President Raisi inaugurated a $514-million irrigation project that is expected to augment Sri Lanka’s energy resources, and made an emphatic call for the attack on Gaza to end.
