KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A flash flood that swept through Iran’s southeastern Kerman province has resulted in the deaths of 14 citizens of Afghanistan, including six children, according to Iran’s state media, which updated an earlier toll of six dead.
The incident occurred in Jiroft, a city in Kerman province, on Monday evening, September 30, where one Iranian citizen was also reportedly killed.
“After finding the last body of Halil River flood incident in Jiroft, a total of 15 are pronounced dead,” an Iranian official told the IRNA news agency.
“Almost all of those killed in Monday’s flood were Afghan nationals living in the Islamic republic,” the official added.
According to the report, Afghan nationals, members of a few families, were working in a garden in the region when the flood occurred, drowning their children who were playing in the Halil River.
Later, other family members and the garden owner entered the river in an attempt to save the children, but they also drowned, raising the total number of fatalities to 15.
Like other countries in the region, Iran has experienced repeated heavy rains and subsequent flash flooding in recent years, often resulting in casualties and financial losses for its residents, including Afghan citizens who primarily work as farmers and construction workers in the country.
In 2022, heavy rains and flash floods in southern Iran resulted in at least 80 fatalities and caused damage estimated at over $200 million for the local population.
Similarly, in 2019, heavy rains in the same region of the country resulted in at least 79 deaths and caused damage estimated at over $2 billion.
The recent natural disasters have exacerbated the situation for Afghan citizens living in Iran, who are already dealing with numerous challenges, including mistreatment and deportation, which have intensified in recent months.
According to the UN, approximately 4.5 million citizens of Afghanistan are living in Iran, having fled their country over the past decades due to conflict, political instability, economic hardship, and most recently, fear of Taliban retaliation.
