Following significant rainfall in the relatively desert nation, flooding in southern Iran has resulted in at least 17 fatalities and six unaccounted for, according to official media on Saturday.
“Around 5:00 pm yesterday, heavy rains in the towns of Ij and Roodbal in the central parts of Estehban County led to flooding,” Yousef Kargar, governor of the county in Fars province, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
“As a result of the flood, 17 bodies have been found in the vicinity of Estehban, of which 13 have been identified,” he said, adding that six people are still missing.
Videos of cars being swept away by the Roodball river’s increasing waves have been broadcast on social media and in local media.
Over the previous ten years, Iran has seen both frequent floods and prolonged droughts.
At least 76 people are known to have died in 2019 due to severe flooding in the country’s south, which also resulted in damage worth more than $2 billion.
