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Leader calls on nation to support relief efforts in flood-hit northern Iran

Saturday, 23 March 2019 8:26 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 23 March 2019 8:31 PM ]

An aerial view of some of the flood-hit areas in northern Iran (Photos by Mehr news)

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on officials and the nation to assist the flood-affected people of the two northern Iranian provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran.

Ayatollah Khamenei also ordered Iran's Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri to step up relief efforts in the flood-hit areas, where incessant rain has affected over 56,000 people in at least 70 villages in Golestan and more than 200 in Mazandaran, according to local officials.

General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said on Saturday that its forces are planned to be deployed to the flood-hit areas to take part in relief operations.

The Armed Forces, including the Army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Law Enforcement, and the Basij (mobilization) Force, along with other relief organizations, will use all their capabilities to control and minimize damages created by the floods, read a statement released on Saturday.

PressTV-Heavy rains leave provinces in northern Iran inundated

Heavy rains have battered Iran’s northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, leaving homes flooded and others without power.

Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani asked Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli to mobilize all means in the affected and neighboring provinces to provide immediate relief aid to people.

Footage from both provinces showed massive flows of water running over roads and streets, with cars being washed away, people struggling to walk, and traffic being disrupted.