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114 People Dead in Floods in Iran
Rescue workers pulled bodies from the mud and army helicopters evacuated residents to hilltop shelters Sunday in northeastern Iran, where flash floods and mudslides have killed at least 114 people.
Heavy rain since Friday has left thousands of people homeless and dozens missing, stranded travelers and destroyed crops and bridges. Sunday was sunny with clear skies, but the forecast called for more rain Sunday night.
In Gonbad-e-Kavus, 280 miles northeast of Tehran, about 200 weeping and screaming relatives waited outside a produce freezer that was turned into a makeshift morgue. Rescue workers, wearing surgical masks, made their way through the crowd, carrying bodies wrapped in red blankets.
Kalaleh, 310 miles northeast of Tehran in Golestan province, was among the towns hit hardest. Thousands of residents have fled the town, where water has receded but areas remain knee-deep in mud.
Many roads have been closed and some bridges have collapsed, cutting off access to villages. Floods have disrupted water, electricity and gas services in Kalaleh and smaller towns in the province.
Mahmoud Salari, a senior regional official in Kalaleh, said 4,000 people had been evacuated, most by helicopter, to hilltop shelters.
In Tehran, President Mohammad Khatami sent an envoy to the region to monitor relief efforts. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed officials to expedite relief operations.
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