This tragedy happened in Iran on February 3, 1972. It all started with a light snowball, which even made the residents happy. They were delighted with the snow. And then … a strong wind suddenly started and everything was covered with white fog. A blizzard came from the Caucasus, which raged in the country for six days and claimed more than 4,000 thousand lives. In Iran, as you know, the climate is dry and snow usually falls only in mountainous regions. Nobody was ready for such a cataclysm.
On February 9, the wind weakened and the onset of snowfall decreased significantly. In the northwest and in the center of the country, the height of the snow cover reached three meters, and in the south, the snowdrifts rose by more than eight meters! All settlements were cut off from the outside world. The blizzard cut off telephone lines and power lines, blocked roads. Villages and villages were completely destroyed. Residents who took refuge in their homes were killed. People died mainly when the roof collapsed or were buried alive. And in the two villages of Kakkan and Kumar, not a single survivor remained at all.
The human factor was also to blame. The rescuers were unprepared to provide assistance. In addition, zero visibility made it impossible to move even by helicopter. Many died of frostbite and disease without the necessary medicines. The air temperature in those days dropped to -20 degrees Celsius. It was a catastrophic temperature for Iran. But this is not all: after the elements receded and the snow began to melt, a powerful flood began.
