TEHRAN – Iran Sports Minister Hamid Sajadi, who sustained a brain injury on Feb. 23 in a helicopter crash, was released from hospital on Saturday.

The helicopter crashed as it was landing at a sports complex in the city of Baft, in the southern province of Kerman.

Esmaeil Ahmadi, a senior adviser to the sports minister and a ministry director general, was killed in the incident, the head of emergency services in Kerman confirmed.

The Red Crescent Society in Kerman said at least 16 people were on board the helicopter when it crashed from a height of around 10 to 15 meters.

Sajadi is a former long-distance runner who represented Iran in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.