TEHRAN – Eight climbers have died and at least seven others are missing after a blizzard and avalanches hit the mountains north of here, reported Iranian media yesterday.
“The bodies of eight missing climbers were recovered in the mountains above Tehran thanks to the efforts of Red Crescent rescue teams and operations,” said Iranian Red Crescent deputy head Mohammad Baqer Mohammadi, according to the official Irna news agency.
A group of mountaineers went missing on Friday due to avalanches and a blizzard in the mountains north of the capital, it said.
State television reported seven climbers are missing.
It broadcast footage of a helicopter rescue operation on the Tochal and Kolakchal peaks of the Alborz mountain chain overlooking Tehran, showing Red Crescent personnel carrying a body on a stretcher along a snowy mountainside.
A member of the team said the rescue mission was complicated by “bad weather and snow”. – AFP, December 27, 2020
