DUBAI (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed in flash floods in Iran’s southern province of Fars, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.

The floods follow heavy rains elsewhere in Iran, with more than 56,000 people living in 270 villages and small towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan along the Caspian Sea affected in recent days, state TV reported.

“At least 11 people were killed and 35 were injured in the Fars province,” the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, said.

Iranian state TV said several provinces were on high alert for imminent flooding because of heavy rains.</s>Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azarbaijan.</s>DUBAI (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed and more than 70 others were wounded in flash floods in Iran’s southern province of Fars, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, following devastating floods in the north.

The spread of deadly flooding to the south follows days of floods that affected more than 56,000 people living in 270 villages and small towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan along the Caspian Sea, state TV reported.

“At least 17 people were killed and 74 were injured in the Shiraz city flood ... caused by heavy rains that started in the morning,” Tasnim quoted the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, as saying, referring to the capital of Fars province in the south.

Kolivand later said one other person was killed in Sarpol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah.

Iranian state TV said several provinces were on high alert for imminent flooding because of heavy rains.

Fars Governor Enayatollah Rahimi told state TV the flooding was under control and rescue and aid workers had been dispatched to the flood-hit areas.

“I am urging people to stay inside their homes in order to remain unharmed,” he said. “The scale of the flood damage is under investigation.”

TV aired footage of cars caught in flood waters in Shiraz. Iran’s Students News Agency ISNA said high water had damaged thousands of houses in Shiraz and other towns.

As the victims of the northern Iran flood struggled for days with rain, mud and cold weather, President Hassan Rouhani’s hardline rivals have criticised the government for doing too little, too late.

In a rare move, Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on the armed forces to help the flood-hit northern provinces.

Following Khamenei’s order, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated Basij militia have been playing a leading role in dealing with the aftermath of the floods in northern provinces.</s>Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan.</s>March 26 (UPI) -- At least 25 people have died in recent flash flooding throughout Iran, a government official told state-run media in an updated death toll Tuesday.

At least 18 people died in the badly hit city of Shiraz, as two were reported dead in Golsetan and five others were killed in Mazandaran, Ahmad Shojayee, head of the Forensic Medicine Organization of Iran, told the state-run Fars News Agency on Tuesday. Early estimates placed the death toll at at least a dozen.

The city of Shiraz was the worst hit, as heavy rain caused widespread flooding there. In that city alone, 119 people were injured, Head of Iran Emergency Medical Service Pirhossein Kolivand told Fars News Agency.

The storm came while many Iranian families were traveling to Shiraz and other parts of the country for the Iranian New Year holiday. Some families unaware of the severity of the storms were trapped inside cars.

The country's Disaster Management Organization urged people to postpone travel plans and seek shelter if they were threatened by high water.

Severe weather bringing heavy rain and flooding started last week in the northern provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan, Semnan and North Khorassan and has gone on to affect 30 provinces. Officials said more than 56,000 people have been affected in various cities and rural areas in Golestan and Mazandaran since the start of the inclement weather.

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani asked the country's armed forces to do more to rescue people during an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday, state-owned PressTV reported. Officials issued flood alerts for 10 provinces in the west and southwest, including the oil and agriculture region of Khouzestan, Iranian energy minister Reza Ardakanian said.

The weather affected travel as well with at least 22 routes at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport being canceled because of the severe weather Monday.</s>Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Cars have been swept away and homes damaged by the floodwaters

Flash floods in southern Iran have killed at least 19 people and injured at least 100 more, officials say.

Dramatic footage on social media showed torrents of muddy water surging through the city of Shiraz where most of the deaths occurred.

People were seen clinging to lamp posts and the tops of cars. Hundreds of buildings were reported damaged.

Iran's judiciary said the government's handling of the disaster was being investigated.

The floods struck during the Persian New Year holiday when many government offices were closed.

"Any shortcomings regarding the handling of the floods, failure to provide relief and aid to the survivors will be investigated," judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi was quoted as saying by the Mizan news agency.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Streets in Shiraz were devastated by the floods

The governor of Fars province, Enayatollah Rahimi, said the flooding was now under control and rescue teams had been deployed to the worst-hit areas.

He added: "I am urging people to stay inside their homes in order to remain unharmed."

Further torrential rain has been forecast for the north and east of the country in the coming hours and days.

Flood warnings have been issued in almost all provinces, including the capital Tehran.</s>Flash flooding in Iran has killed at least 19 people and injured 119 in the city of Shiraz in Fars province, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Fars Gov. Enayatollah Rahimi said a short but intense rainfall caused sudden flash flooding that inundated a main highway between Shiraz and Esfahan, trapping many travelers leaving the city. City officials did not have enough time to warn people in the area ahead of the deadly weather conditions.

The heavy storm system over the region delivered a month’s worth of rainfall in only a few hours, according to CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward. Coupled with the terrain in the area, this may have caused a funneling effect which is not uncommon to see in some extreme flash flooding episodes.

“With the arrival of new precipitation into the country, more than 13 provinces of the country are involved in severe rainfall, snow and blizzard in a way that 22 communications routes of the country have been completely blocked,” semi-official Mehr News Agency said.

Emergency and rescue organizations are on full alert in Isfahan and Tehran as the heavy rain is predicted to continue to fall in much of the country especially in southwest to central Iran. The storm will continue to impact Iran Monday night and into early Tuesday morning before the weather system begins to ease late Tuesday.</s>Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azarbaijan.</s>DUBAI (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed and more than 70 others were wounded in flash floods in Iran’s southern province of Fars, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, following devastating floods in the north.

The spread of deadly flooding to the south follows days of floods that affected more than 56,000 people living in 270 villages and small towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan along the Caspian Sea, state TV reported.

“At least 17 people were killed and 74 were injured in the Shiraz city flood ... caused by heavy rains that started in the morning,” Tasnim quoted the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, as saying, referring to the capital of Fars province in the south.

Kolivand later said one other person was killed in Sarpol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah.

Iranian state TV said several provinces were on high alert for imminent flooding because of heavy rains.

Fars Governor Enayatollah Rahimi told state TV the flooding was under control and rescue and aid workers had been dispatched to the flood-hit areas.

“I am urging people to stay inside their homes in order to remain unharmed,” he said. “The scale of the flood damage is under investigation.”

TV aired footage of cars caught in flood waters in Shiraz. Iran’s Students News Agency ISNA said high water had damaged thousands of houses in Shiraz and other towns.

As the victims of the northern Iran flood struggled for days with rain, mud and cold weather, President Hassan Rouhani’s hardline rivals have criticized the government for doing too little, too late.

In a rare move, Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on the armed forces to help the flood-hit northern provinces.

Following Khamenei’s order, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated Basij militia have been playing a leading role in dealing with the aftermath of the floods in northern provinces.
Flash flooding in the southern provinces of Iran kills at least 19 people and injures more than 100. The majority of the deaths occurred in the city of Shiraz.