Heavy floods in Iran kill at least 28 people

Flash floods have killed at least 28 people in northeastern Iran, flooding farmlands and villages and cutting off communications in two provinces, interior ministry officials said today.

Dozens of people are likely trapped and missing in the area, according to the officials from the ministry’s national disaster office.

The heavy rains have inundated 14 villages in Golestan province, said Abolqasem Safavi, head of the provincial office for natural disasters.

"Fifteen thousand hectares (37,000 acres) of farmland are totally under water," Mr Safavi said.

He said the floods had cut off the main road between Tehran and Iran’s northeastern border with Turkmenistan.

The governor’s office warned of further flooding as the heavy rains were expected to continue through today and tomorrow.

Also affected is the neighbouring province of Khorasan, where rescue helicopters have been sent in, the officials said.

In the town of Kalaleh, 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Tehran, the floods have disrupted water, electricity and gas services, Mr Safavi said.

In May, flooding in the same region killed 32 and injured at least 50 people.

In contrast, much of Iran is suffering from a three-year regional drought that has been a major setback to crop production and has forced water rationing in many cities.