Search and Recovery Operations for Aseman Airlines Crash Victims Halted Due to Bad Weather

Due to adverse weather conditions, the search and recovery operations for the bodies in the Dena Mountains were temporarily halted on Thursday, February 22. According to ISNA news agency, the deputy operations manager of the Red Crescent Society announced the temporary halt of the operations due to unfavorable weather conditions and stated that several bodies have been transferred down the mountain so far. The Aseman Airlines ATR 72 passenger plane, which was flying from Tehran to Yasuj, disappeared from radar on February 17 and was later reported to have crashed in the Dena Mountains near the city of Semirom in Isfahan. Reports indicate that the aircraft was carrying 60 passengers, two flight attendants, two pilots, and two security personnel. Aseman Airlines announced on the first day that all passengers on board had perished. According to Shahin Fathi, on Wednesday, teams of rescuers were stationed at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, and on their way back, they managed to transfer some body covers down. The Red Crescent deputy stated that simultaneously, two teams were able to reach altitudes of 4,050 and 3,850 meters, and due to heavy snowfall, these two teams camped in the mountains overnight. Shahin Fathi stated: 'Rescuers stationed at Camp One, which is at an altitude of 4,050 meters, acknowledged on Thursday that snowfall in some areas exceeds one meter, and practically, given the snowfall, it is not possible to move forward, and they attempted to join the members of Camp Two and descend from there.' He referred to the meteorological organization's forecasts, stating that in the coming days, the region would witness even heavier snowfall, likely continuing until next Tuesday. The deputy operations manager of the rescue organization also mentioned that as soon as weather conditions improve, search and recovery operations will resume. Meanwhile, climbers and rescuers present in the area, in interviews with the news network, indicated that due to snow, blizzards, and cold winds in Padna, they had to crawl in some areas. Given these conditions, helicopter flights in the area are also not possible. According to Ali Vafaee Moghadam, the director of the crisis management office of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, some families of the passengers on the Tehran-Yasuj flight have requested that rescuers not put their lives at risk under the current conditions. According to Mohsen Mehralizadeh Isfahan, so far, the bodies of 32 passengers have been discovered in the heights, half of which have been transferred down. In this context, the Iranian aviation organization rejected the claim of 'checking' the pilots of Aseman Airlines. The 'halt of operations' for the transfer of the bodies of Aseman Airlines passengers occurred shortly after the start.