TEHRAN — Iran is among the top ten countries which are highly prone to natural disasters, said Behnam Saeedi, the deputy director of the Iranian Crisis Management Organization.

Iran’s vulnerability and exposure to natural hazards is high, Saeedi said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the United Nations Disaster Management Training Program on Monday, IRNA news agency reported.

“Out of 45 natural disasters, 35 are likely to happen in Iran, and unfortunately natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms and floods which inflict catastrophic loss on the country are highly common in Iran,” he added.

“Foreseeing such events would help us minimize casualties,” he noted.

Training people against disasters is the key factor in damage control, he pointed adding that training should be both “practical” and “up-to-date”.

“Our priority is to save people’s lives and to do so we need to overcome obstacles in the path,” Saeedi highlighted.

Iran was also chosen as one of the members of International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) by the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Iran, Gary Lewis.

United Nations Disaster Management Training Program will end today.

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