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At least 10 climbers have died and several more are missing after a snowstorm triggered avalanches in the mountains north of Iran’s capital Tehran, state media reported on Saturday.
Several climbers have remained missing since Friday, when two deaths were reported, while the number reported missing has risen as concerned families contact authorities, state television said.
Nine people died on the mountain and one died in hospital after being rescued, said Mehdi Valipour, head of emergency operations at the Iranian Red Crescent, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.
At least seven climbers were still missing on three popular trails, Valipour previously said.
The search was abandoned late Saturday night, but will resume on Sunday morning.
A member of the Red Crescent team said the rescue mission was complicated by bad weather and snow.
Map of the incident area
State television broadcast images of a helicopter rescue operation on the Tochal and Kolakchal peaks of the Alborz mountain range overlooking Tehran. It showed Red Crescent staff carrying a body on a stretcher along a snowy slope.
Tehran lies at the foot of the Alborz mountain range, which has several ski resorts and a tallest peak of 5,671 m (18,606 ft).
Heavy snowfall and winds have caused chaos in various parts of Iran, and maritime authorities were searching for the seven crew members of an Iranian transport ship that capsized in choppy Gulf waters on Friday, the news agency reported. semi-official ISNA.
“We are trying to find the missing by mobilizing all our facilities and forces, and informing passing ships and naval search and rescue centers in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan,” said Esmail Makkizadeh, deputy director of the regional maritime agency. from Iran. cited by ISNA.
