Heavy rain causes floods, kills 5 in northern Iran

An average of 300mm rainfall over the past few days has caused damage to houses, bridges and other facilities in the coastal provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan in the south of the Caspian Sea.

An official in Gilan told reporters that as many as 340 houses were flooded in Talesh and Fooman governorates and natural gas delivery as well as water pipes have been affected by the flash floods.

Gilan Provincial Governor Mostafa Salari, while visiting the affected areas in Fooman, said that about 11,000 people in villages in the governorate have no access to clean water as a result of the floods.

The rainfall of about 300mm in one day in Mazandaran has caused problems for people, especially in Ramsar and Tonekabon governorates, destroying about 15 houses in a village and blocking roads to remote villages.

The floods and lightening have killed 5 people, and hundreds of trapped people have been rescued by rescue teams so far.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities, including the First Vice-President Es’hagh Jahangiri, have ordered the local officials such as the provincial governors to spare no efforts to help the people affected by the heavy rain.