Iran flash flood death toll hits 15

A flash flood that swept through a southern city of Iran killed 15 people, state media reported on Tuesday, updating an earlier toll of six dead.

“After finding the last body of Halil River flood incident in Jiroft, a total of 15 are pronounced dead,” said the official IRNA news agency.

The search and rescue operation had been brought to an end, it added.

Almost all of those killed in Monday’s flood were Afghan nationals living in the Islamic republic, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.

Jiroft is a city located in the normally dry southern province of Kerman.

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

Iran has endured repeated droughts in the past decade, but also regular floods, a phenomenon made worse when torrential rain falls on sun-baked earth.

In 2022, heavy rains in Iran’s south left at least 80 people dead and caused damage estimated at about $200 million.

AFP

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