TEHRAN – Floods in Iran have killed 76 people and caused more than $2.2billion in damages in recent weeks, officials said Sunday, with warningsstill in place for large swathes of the country.
“With the death of five people in the Khuzestan province flood and anotherperson in Ilam province the death toll has now reached 76” since March 19,according to a statement published online by the coroner’s office.
The two southwestern provinces are the latest overwhelmed by floods thatfirst hit the northeast of the usually arid country, forcing hundreds ofthousands to evacuate from cities and villages.
Officials have again issued flood warnings for the east of Iran with heavyrains that began on Saturday forecasted to continue.
The floods have caused immense damage with homes, roads, infrastructureand agriculture all hit.
“Twenty-five provinces and more than 4,400 villages across the countrywere affected by the floods,” Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazlitold parliament, according to the official IRNA news agency.
He said the damages amount to between 300 and 350 trillion rials –between $2.2 and $2.6 billion at the free market rate.
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Transport minister Mohammad Eslami meanwhile told lawmakers “725 bridgeshave been totally destroyed.”
“More than 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) of roads have been damaged,” hesaid, according to IRNA.
The head of Iran’s meteorology service told the same parliamentary sessionthat the floods do not necessarily mean that a decades-long drought hasended.
“The recent floods were due to climate change and global warming,” SaharTajbakhsh said according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
The Islamic republic has received aid from neighbouring countries andfurther afield, with France on Saturday donating 210 tents and 114 pumps.-APP/AFP
