Translated Content:
Friday morning, which was supposed to start like any other day, turned into an eternal night for the Poladvand family and many others. The brutal Israeli airstrike on the Shahid Chamran town in Tehran extinguished the light of life for a family of four forever. In this disaster, the father, mother, son and daughter of the family were martyred under the rubble of their house, leaving only one grieving brother.
Biography of the Poladvand family
The Poladvand family lived in the Nobaniad neighborhood of Shahid Chamran town in Tehran. This town belongs to the Cooperative Foundation and Welfare Company of the Defense Industries Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran (SASED) and is about 40 years old. On the morning of Friday, June 13, 1404, in the first wave of Israeli attacks, the 14-story building where they lived was completely destroyed. Rescue operations with sniffer dogs began in the early hours, but the extent of the destruction was such that it took 49 hours to pull the bodies of Fatima and her mother from the rubble. At least 60 people were martyred in the attack, 20 of whom were children and infants.
Father of the family: Zabihullah Poladvand
Zabihullah Poladvand, the father of the family, was a veteran and, due to chemical injuries, had severe breathing problems and constantly needed oxygen. He was martyred in the airstrike along with his wife, son, and daughter.
Mother of the family: Shah Dolat Qaed Rahmati
Shah Dolat Qaed Rahmati, the mother of the family, was also martyred in the attack, along with her husband and two children, Mehdi and Fatima. It took 49 hours to pull her and her daughter, Fatima, from the rubble.
Family Son: Mehdi Poladvand
Mehdi Poladvand, born in 1377 or 1378, was a professional equestrian who was a member of the national youth equestrian team and the Alborz provincial team. His friends describe him as a good-natured, kind, and moral person who had a constant smile on his face and brought joy and happiness to any group. On competition days, he valued friendship and camaraderie, and among his friends, he made everyone feel good with his jokes and sincerity. However, on the competition field, he was serious and focused, and as equestrians call him, he was a “razor rider,” meaning he came to win the race.
Mehdi entered competitions as a teenager and became one of the future hopes of the national team. In 1402, he was able to win the Alborz provincial horse jumping championship in the adult category. He had dreams of reaching the top ranks in equestrianism, succeeding in national competitions, and training high-level horses. According to one of his friends, Mehdi is considered the first martyr of the country's equestrian sport. He spent the last hours of his life on Friday, June 12, in a horse jumping competition and was martyred with his family after returning home.
Daughter of the family: Fatemeh Poladvand
Fathemeh Poladvand, the last child of the family, was the only daughter of Zabihullah and Shahdolat. She had recently graduated from high school and, according to one of her brother's friends, was a student. Fatemeh was martyred in the attack along with her father, mother, and older brother, Mehdi.
Ali Poladvand's account of the martyrdom of the Poladvand family
Ali Poladvand, the older brother and sole survivor of the martyred equestrian family, described that bitter night in an interview with Anna: Mehdi was the second child in our family who was martyred along with my father, mother, and sister on the morning of June 13. I live a block away from my father, and as always, we came home tired from riding on Thursdays.
He added: Of course, Mehdi rode in Alborz province and I came home to Tehran. My son Mohammad Javad had a very close relationship with Mehdi, so much so that he called him brother instead of uncle. At 11:30 PM, I called my mother and said that Mohammad Javad had come home. We went to sleep, and at 11:30 AM on Friday morning, I woke up to a terrible sound and a strong shaking of the block. I thought it was an earthquake, but suddenly I heard that they hit block 12. I just put on my slippers and ran. When I reached the block, I saw that the entire 14th floor had collapsed. I ran everywhere to find my family, but I couldn't get anywhere, only a piece of my father's apartment was left. My family was buried under the rubble. The bodies of Mehdi and my father were pulled out of the rubble after 24 hours, my sister after 48 hours, and my mother was identified through DNA testing after 3-4 days due to burns. My entire family was gone overnight.
The bodies of the Poladvand martyrs' family were buried in their hometown of Durood.