TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has issued a message of sympathy to people in areas affected by flash floods and landslides.

“The dreadful, damaging floods taking place in various parts of the country have incurred physical, financial and emotional injuries on a number of our dear people. I wish to express my deep sympathy with all these loved ones and my condolences to the victims of these disasters. I also call on the country’s respected authorities to take all necessary measures for repairing damages,” the Leader said in the message, according to khamenei.ir.

He added, “I wish to thank the officials for their going quickly to the areas affected by the floods, and I also appreciate the efforts of the groups of rescue workers, both volunteer groups and from the officials, to help the flood victims. All of us have the duty to continue these actions, which are favorable to God, and to continuously keep working to try to mitigate the aftermath of such painful events is everyone’s duty. I pray for God, the Almighty, to give success to everyone's efforts.”

Flash floods in several Iranian provinces have claimed dozens of lives and wreaked havoc to multiple cities and villages.

The provinces include Sistan-Baluchestan, Tehran, Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, Qom, Semnan, Mazandaran, Yazd, East Azarbaijan, South Khorasan, Golestan, Isfahan, Bushehr, Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad, Markazi, and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society aid workers, including 560 teams, have provided relief and rescue services to 27,000 people in flood-affected areas, offering emergency accommodation to 5,215 flood victims, and relocating 1,332 to safe areas, Mehdi Valipour, head of the IRCS Relief and Rescue Organization, said.

Additionally, water was pumped out of 944 flooded houses, and food items were distributed among the flood victims, he added.