Death toll in ‘unprecedented’ Iran floods rises to 21

TEHRAN: The death toll from major floods swamping much of Iran has risen to 21, emergency services said on Tuesday, as authorities sent safety warnings to mobile telephones across the country.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence urging officials to speed up relief efforts and compensation for victims of the floods, which the authorities described as unprecedented.

The disaster, which the energy minister blamed on climate change, struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers on vacation. Nineteen people were killed and 98 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, while one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said.

At least 110 people were reported wounded, according to the health ministry. With 20 of Iran’s 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing an imminent threat, the country’s National Crisis Management Committee was activated at the cabinet level.

Iran’s meteorological service has warned of more heavy showers until Wednesday, and flood warnings have gone out for central provinces such as Isfahan and the capital Tehran. Overnight the crisis management committee sent out multiple text messages to all mobile telephones in Iran urging people to be cautious and await instructions from official sources.