Floods kill at least 22 in southern Iran

TEHRAN: At least 22 people were killed in flash floods caused by heavy rains in Iran’s southern province of Fars, a provincial official said on Saturday.

There was at least one person missing, said Khalil Abdollahi, head of the province’s crisis management department, quoted by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

He said 55 people had been rescued in the flood which submerged 15 cars. The governor of Fars province declared Sunday a day of mourning, state media said.

In 2019, heavy flooding in the country’s south left at least 76 people dead and caused damage estimated at more than $2 billion.

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In January at least two people were killed in flash flooding in Fars when heavy rains hit the area, a local official said at the time.

Scientists say climate change amplifies extreme weather, including droughts as well as the potential for the increased intensity of rain storms.

Like other nearby countries, Iran has suffered chronic dry spells and heat waves for years, and these are expected to worsen.

In the last few months, demonstrations have occurred against the drying up of rivers, particularly in central and southwestern Iran.