At least 43 people have drowned and another 15 are missing in flash floods caused by torrential rains in Golestan province in north-eastern Iran, the official news agency Irna reported on Thursday.
”Forty-three people have been killed and searches are continuing to find another 15 missing people,” said Dr Eassul Salahi in the afflicted region of Kalaleh.
About 350 families have lost their homes as a result of the deluge of heavy rain, which began on Tuesday, according to local officials. Scores of livestock have also been killed in the floods and vast areas of farm land devastated.
Rescue teams have been distributing tents, food, blankets and sanitary water to the victims and are searching the rubble with sniffer dogs for the missing.
Golestan province has been stricken by floods for several days, a problem exacerbated by intensive deforestation of this mountainous region. At least 27 people were killed on July 31 in the Kalaleh region. — Sapa-AFP