At least 25 killed after massive floods hit Iran
Featured image: Massive floods in Iran's East Azerbaijan province on April 14, 2017. Credit: PressTV
At least 25 people have been killed and 16 others are missing after heavy rain caused massive floods and landslides in Iran's northwest over the past couple of days. Parts of the region saw water levels not seen in the past 40 years. The heaviest downpours were registered on Friday, April 14, 2017.
According to Esma’eel Najjar, the head of the country’s Crisis Management Organization, the affected provinces are East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Kordestan, and Zanjan Provinces.
The worst affected were Azar-Shahr and Ajab-Sheer counties of East Azerbaijan, where at least 19 people were killed and 16 remain missing. Khalil Sa’ei, the head of crisis management at the Provincial Governor’s Office, said the province had witnessed the heaviest downpours of the past several years on Friday. The Ajab-Shir and Azar-Shahr counties had borne the brunt of the disaster, amid reports that water levels in the latter region had risen to levels last seen 40 years ago, Axar reported.
Video courtesy PressTV (April 14, 2017)
Video courtesy Focus Iran (April 14, 2017)
PressTV said Kordestan Province was hit by both flooding and landslides.
Shahin Fat-hi, of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s Search and Rescue Department, meanwhile, told ISNA that the operations had provided assistance to as many as 1 150 people in 33 cities and villages.
Damage reports are still coming in and search and rescue operations are underway. Military and law enforcement forces have been asked to assist.
Latest reports mention severe damage to infrastructure and at least 50 villages destroyed.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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