The fury of snow: The deadliest blizzard in history, which killed 4 thousand lives

On February 3, 1972, one of the most terrible natural disasters in the history of the country began in Iran. The blizzard that came from the Caucasus raged for six days. A state with an arid climate, where snow usually falls only in mountainous areas, naturally turned out to be completely unprepared for such a ferocity of the elements. 

The blizzard, which killed more than four thousand people, is considered the deadliest in history. For comparison, the most destructive tornado that occurred in Bangladesh in 1989 claimed 1,300 lives.

By February 9, when the onslaught of snowfall had significantly decreased, in the north-west and in the center of the country, the height of the snow cover reached three meters, and in the south, snow dunes towered eight meters. Hundreds of settlements were cut off from the outside world: a blizzard cut off telephone lines and power lines, blocked roads.

As a result, more than a hundred villages and villages were completely destroyed. People who took refuge in houses died when the roof collapsed or were buried alive. There were no survivors left in the villages of Kakkan and Kumar.

The huge number of victims is explained primarily by the fact that rescuers could not come to the rescue. Almost zero visibility made it impossible to move even by helicopter. Many died from frostbite and diseases without having the necessary medicines. The air temperature in those days dropped to -20 degrees Celsius.