Heavy blizzard in Iran kills three, cuts off roads, gas, electricity
As the snowstorm spread to northern and central provinces of Iran, it was reported that three have lost their lives to the blizzard in the northern province of Gilan.
Heavy snow has blocked several main roads in Iran and chain car-accidents have increased. In several cities, people have reported that their water, electricity, and gas has been shut down.
The head of road management in Zanjan province announced on Tuesday that at least six roads have been closed due to heavy snow.
All the schools in Gilan province and Hamedan province are canceled on Wednesday.
Road police has announced that the Qazvin to Rasht road has also been blocked by heavy snow and many travelers were trapped in some of the roads.
In Gilan, the crisis management office reported that over 90 thousand households have lost electricity. Some Twitter users have reported that due to frozen pipes, water has been cut off and they have also lost electricity and gas.
Several airports across the country including Tehran’s Mehr Abad airport, Ilam, Tabriz, and Rasht have had long flight-delays and canceling in some cases.
In East Azerbaijan a train was derailed after hitting the snow.
Iran’s Meteorology Organization announced that on Wednesday, almost 20 provinces will face a heavy drop in temperature and snow fall. It also announced that in provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, North Khorasan, Kerman, and Hormozgan, there will be more snow.