Iran's sports minister suffered from a brain hemorrhage, while one of his aides was killed and 15 others were injured after a helicopter carrying them crashed during landing in Kerman province on Thursday.

The minister, Hamid Sajjadi, suffered a head injury in the accident which occurred when the helicopter was landing at a stadium in the town of Baft, the official IRNA news agency reported.

His adviser, Esmail Ahmadi, died.

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.

All 12 passengers and four crew members sustained injuries. The condition of at least two of them is said to be critical.

The cause of the crash is being investigated, state media cited the provincial governor, Mohammad-Mehdi Fadakar, as saying.

Sajjadi, a former long-distance runner who represented Iran in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, was in January sanctioned by the European Union in connection with the months-long protests in the country triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody.

"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 (yards) off the ground," IRNA said.

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 up-to-date.