Floods kill at least 53 in Iran, rescuers hunt for the missing

Rescuers work following the flood in Imamzadeh Davoud village in the north of Tehran, Iran July 28, 2022. Iranian Red Crescent Society/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Rescuers searched for the missing in Iran on Friday after landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains killed at least 53 people, officials said.

Mehdi Valipour, head of emergency operations at the Red Crescent Society, told state TV that 16 people were still missing after two days of floods that have affected 400 towns and villages in 18 of Iran’s 31 provinces. Many highways were closed.