Iran: At least 22 dead from floods in the south

Flooding in southern Iran has killed at least 22 people and left one person missing after torrential rains lashed the largely arid country, state media reported.

“The death toll rose to 22 after the discovery of other bodies” lost in the floods, which hit towns in and around the Estaban region, the head of the local rescue organization, Javad Moradian, said, quoted by the news Mehr agency.

“Many locals and visitors had gone to the riverbank when they were trapped by the rising water level” on Friday late afternoon, Youssef Kargar, governor of Estaban city in Fars province, was quoted as saying by Irna. . Videos posted on social media show cars plunging into the Ronbal River and being washed away.

Repeated droughts have hit Iran in the past decade, but also frequent floods due to torrential rains, a phenomenon exacerbated by the dryness of the soil.

Today, First Vice President Mohammad Mohbar called on the governor of Fars province to conduct an investigation to shed light on the drama and compensate the victims, according to Irna.

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi traveled to the area to “supervise rescue operations and console the families of the dead,” according to the same img.

The province’s meteorological service warned of “heavier rainfall likely at the end of the week”.

Source: News Beast

You may also like