Iranian Kolbar Dies After Fall During Border Escape

A young kolbar succumbed to his injuries on Thursday after a fall while escaping the Islamic Republic's border forces in the Qandil border region.

Siamand Hasanpour, a 37-year-old Kurdish man from Sardasht, suffered severe head trauma during the escape and was placed in a coma. Despite medical intervention, he was unable to recover.

Hasanpour, a married father of two, succumbed to his injuries after days of critical care.

Kolbars are porters who haul goods on their backs and feet over long distances across Iran's borders, mainly in the impoverished, mountainous Kurdish areas adjacent to Iraq.

According to the Kolbar News website, a total of 85 kolbars lost their lives while transporting goods in the western provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah between March and September 2023.

The causes of their deaths include direct fire by military forces, blizzards, cold weather, and falls from mountains and heights