TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A series of avalanches in Iran killed 10 people in a mountainous area north of the capital, state TV reported Sunday.
The report said rescue teams were searching for a number of missing people after the avalanches struck in four different areas. State TV aired footage of emergency crews using a helicopter to search for those missing and injured.
The incidents happened on Friday following strong winds and snowfall a day earlier. The Alborz mountain range where the avalanches struck is popular on weekends for its hiking and climbing.
Deadly avalanches are a rare phenomenon in Iran. In 2017, two avalanches killed 11 hikers.
Image: In this photo released by Iran’s Red Crescent Society, bags containing bodies of mountaineers who died after avalanches in a mountainous area north of the capital are placed on the ground carried by a rescue helicopter, Iran, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. A series of avalanches in Iran killed multiple people on Friday following strong winds and snowfall a day earlier. (Iran’s Red Crescent Society via AP)
