Three Killed as Flooding Hits Salmas in Urmia, Eastern Kurdistan
Three people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed after heavy rainfall caused flooding in Salmas, Urmia, Eastern Kurdistan, damaging homes in several villages.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Three people have been killed and two others injured after heavy rainfall triggered flooding in Salmas, in Urmia, Eastern Kurdistan (northwestern Iran), damaging homes across several villages and prompting prolonged search and rescue operations.
Hamid Mahboubi, director general of the Red Crescent in Urmia Province, told Iran's official IRNA news agency that rescue teams recovered the body of a third victim on Friday after approximately 14 hours of searching.
The body was found about eight kilometers from the point where the person had last been seen, Mahboubi said.
Authorities said no additional missing persons had been reported as of Friday, although ground searches and rescue operations were continuing.
Among those killed was a 10-year-old girl in the village of Kanyan.
According to Mahboubi, the girl was inside a vehicle that became surrounded by floodwaters. Red Crescent teams recovered her body and handed it over to the relevant authorities.
A 63-year-old man was also killed in Kanyan, with rescuers later recovering his body.
Two other people were injured during the flooding and taken to medical centers for treatment.
The floods affected the villages of Shurik, Silab, Kanyan, Shakaryazi and Mafi Kandi in the Salmas area.
Mahboubi said 17 residential homes housing 78 people were damaged by floodwaters. Red Crescent teams drained water from the affected houses and worked to secure the properties.
Flooding was also reported farther north in the Maku area.
In the village of Olanlar, seven homes occupied by 24 people were affected. Nine Red Crescent operational teams involving 43 personnel were deployed to assist residents and remove water from damaged properties.
Salmas Governor Mohammad Fathi said authorities had taken necessary measures to support those affected and that rescue teams would remain in the flooded areas.
Speaking after a crisis-management meeting early Friday, Fathi said search operations would continue until the situation had stabilized and assistance had been provided to affected residents.
Mahboubi said emergency and rescue teams were dispatched immediately after the flooding began to conduct searches, assess damage and assist local communities.
Relief operations remained active on Friday, with authorities continuing ground searches even after the third body was recovered.
The flooding left dozens of residents facing damage to their homes across Salmas and neighboring areas, while emergency teams continued assessing the full extent of losses caused by the heavy rainfall.