Heavy flooding continued in Iran yesterday as many provinces geared up for days of waterlogged misery and authorities warned of possible floods in the capital Tehran as well the oil-rich south.
Flooding in the Iranian provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan, and Fars have so far claimed the lives of 25 people, Head of the Forensic Medicine Organization of Iran Ahmad Shojayee said on Tuesday, according to Fars News Agency (FNA).
Shojayee reportedly recounted that the Forensic Medicine Organization has so far issued 18 death certificates related to the flash flood of Monday in Shiraz, adding that since the floods hit the two Northern provinces Mazandaran and Golsetan, the organization has issued 2 certificates in Golsetan and 5 in Mazandaran.
President Hassan Rouhani promised compensation for all financial losses and called for the armed forces to help in flooded areas.
Press TV says that addressing an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Rouhani called on the Armed Forces to step up their rescue efforts.
“People’s lives are our highest priority,” he said, emphasizing that the government is ready to compensate damages incurred by residences and businesses.
Iranian media reports said several villages near rivers and dams in different provinces had been evacuated.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and thousands put in emergency shelters provided by the government, Iranian state-run media said.
FNA says over 56,000 people have been affected in various cities and rural areas in Golestan and Mazandaran as a result of heavy rainfall that hit the two provinces on March 19 and 20.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement that it was ready to offer help to Iran, but “challenges caused by unilateral sanctions will affect the UN response and the accountability of UN to deliver the appropriate support”.
U.S. President Donald Trump last year abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.
