Southwestern Iranian Province Faces Critical Emergency After Heavy Snowfall

Recent snowfall in Iran’s southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province has caused building collapses and road blockades, leaving thousands of people stranded in sub-zero temperatures.

Despite the provincial authorities’ efforts to reopen roads and assist those affected, the situation remains highly critical for many residents of the provincial capital, Shahr-e-kurd, the city of Kohrang and nearby villages.

Residents say that houses are collapsing under the weight of the snow, which has reached six meters in high grounds.

A Kohrang resident wrote in a message to IranWire, "In order to provide relief in time, the snow must be removed from the area; otherwise, it will not be possible to provide relief. As we are talking, a week has passed since the snowfall started, and almost 125 villages in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari are surrounded by snow.”

According to the official IRNA news agency, Kohrang’s Governor Shahbaz Akbari said late on February 15 that roads connecting the city with 235 villages were blocked, and that 20,000 villagers needed heating devices, food items and blankets urgently.

Gholamali Heydari, the provincial governor, said that in some areas it is impossible to clear snow with bulldozers.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society’s provincial branch has confirmed that 34 residential units have been destroyed and claimed that relief was provided to more than 3,000 people trapped in the snow and blizzard.

He advised Kohrang residents to evacuate old and dilapidated houses and seek shelter in their relatives’ homes.

Kohrang’s representative in parliament emphasized that the authorities were unable to provide relief to everyone in need.

"The amount of snow is such that it is no longer possible to open roads with bulldozers, loaders. And even though equipment has been sent from neighboring provinces it is still not enough,” lawmaker Ghodratullah Hamzeh said.

Fereydoun, a resident of the province, told IranWire that the Shahr-e-kurd Municipality has two loaders and one snow removal blade only.