Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, April 11, 2020—While Iran is grappling with a deadly coronavirus outbreak, the floods that have devastated large swaths of the country have nearly gone unnoticed. Flashfloods in 14 provinces of Iran have caused much destruction to infrastructure and left several dead in their wake.
Provinces such as Isfahan, Alborz, Tehran, West and North Khorasan, Semnan, Fars, Qom, Kerman, Kermanshah, Golestan, Gilan, Lorestan and Yazd have been hit by heavy flooding in the past weeks.
In a turn of events in Ardakan, Yazd province, a car overturned while two small children had taken refuge in it to protect themselves against the flood. The body of one of the children was found 700 meters away from where the incident took place after several hours of search by the locals. The other has not been found but is also believed to be dead.
Two children killed by floods in Yazd province
A witnessed said: “It was very hard to see the scene, we couldn’t do anything. There was no sign of relief efforts. If there was any response Task Force, why they were not there. Why didn’t they block the road?”
Four people died due to floods and lightning in west Gilab, Kerman, and Yazd provinces. In the coming days, it is forecasted that 20 provinces will be hit by floods.
Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesperson for regime’s Emergency Organization said to Khabar Online on Thursday, April 9, “During the past 48 hours, 14 provinces of Isfahan, Alborz, Tehran, South and North Khorasan, Semnan, Fars, Qom, Kerman, Kermanshah, Golestan, Gilan, Lorestan, and Yazd have been affected by natural disasters.” He added, “During the last 48 hours, four people have lost their lives due to incidents in Ardakan, Yazd province, and Delijan in Markazi province."
Khaledi added that from March 22 to April 10, about 41 people have lost their lives in the same cities due to natural disasters.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) expressed her condolences to the suffered compatriots and their loved ones and called for public assistance to the flood victims.
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In March devastating floods spread in 19 provinces across Iran, leaving behind dozens killed and injured, and massive damages following over 40 years of neglect by the mullahs’ regime.
Residential areas and especially farm fields in the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Chahar Mahal & Bakhtiari, South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, Khuzestan, Semnan, Sistan & Baluchistan, Fars, Qazvin, Qom, Kerman, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmed, Golestan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Markazi (Central) and Hormozgan are witnessing extensive destruction. Reports indicate dozens of people in various provinces have been killed and injured.
Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), expressed her condolences to the Iranians devastated by these floods, and called on neighboring areas to rush to the flood victims’ support.
Eleven provinces, including Hormozgan, Bushehr, Fars, Sistan & Baluchistan, Qom, Gilan, South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Semnan, and Kerman are seriously damaged with floods, according to Mojtaba Khaledi, a spokesperson of the regime’s Emergency Organization. Twelve people have died and 21 injured, according to Khaledi’s remarks in an interview with the state-run ISNA news agency.
Over 10,000 hectares of farmland south of Kerman in south-central Iran are engulfed by floodwaters. Fields of wheat, tomato, watermelon, vegetables, and flowers have all been destroyed in this area. Floods have also inflicted 5 trillion rials (around $30 million) in damages to the already deprived farmers.
Eleven bridges have been completely damaged in the city of Iranshahr, located in southeast Iran. The road linking Iranshahr to the city of Bam has also been blocked. In the city of Borazjan, floodwaters have reached the roof of vehicles and all stores and markets are closed.
The southern areas of Sistan & Baluchistan Province have suffered over 401 billion rials (around $2.43 million) in damages, according to local officials. Weather reports indicate more than 50 millimeters of rainfall flooded this area. Crisis management officials are saying the situation in five towns, including Qasre-Qand, Nikshahr, Chabahar, Kenarak, Dashtiari, and Dolgan are critical.
Other officials are reporting that 130 villages, one city and three main roads in Iran’s southern provinces are surrounded by floodwaters.
