Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) issued a statement expressing her condolences for the victims who died in recent flooding in Northern Iran.

Nine people died in heavy flooding in Mazandaran and Golestan Provinces in Northern Iran last weekend. One further victim is still missing.

Floods are hitting many provinces across #Iran, including Golestan, Lorestan, Fars, Khuzestan and Kermanshah.
Reports indicate numerous people dead and missing.https://t.co/eEcopFFwvS

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 25, 2019

Reports from MEK sources inside Iran indicate that the flooding affected more than 20 villages in Golestan and 200 in Mazandaran during the country’s Nowruz celebrations, turning a time of celebration into a time of grief and tragedy. The town of Agh Ghola in Golestan was among the worst hit by the flooding.

The heavy rains caused landslides. Around 70 roads leading into the province are also reportedly inaccessible, leading to a shortage of food and water in the affected areas.

Other affected areas include Shiraz, Fars, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Sistan, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Ilam.

Sincere Condolences

Mrs. Rajavi expressed messages of solidarity and condolence with those affected. She called on the nation’s youth to come to the aid of those affected by the flooding. She told Iranians that it was their national patriotic duty to rally around the victims and provide aid where they can.

She also pointed out the regime’s inaction. In places where the regime has taken measures, they have often exacerbated the situation.

I extend my condolences to relatives of flood victims, and call on the youth to take independent popular action to bring aid to the affected population#Iranhttps://t.co/ozniIB1wy7 pic.twitter.com/CYFFtmRmvU

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 25, 2019

Years of corruption and embezzlement have left Iranians with few resources to rebuild their property and their lives in the wake of this national catastrophe. They have hollowed out Iran’s institutions through greed and the pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional warmongering. The regime is, therefore, woefully ill-equipped to manage the effects of natural disasters like this week’s flooding.

The NCRI’s statement read, “our citizens’ damages in lives and belonging [sic] in facing such calamities are higher than the world and other countries’ standards.” It accused the regime of misappropriating resources from those affected to “repressive organs” like the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

As Khamenei, Rouhani, and other ruling mullahs turn a blind eye on the pain and suffering of the people of #Iran and are solely focused on preserving their own regime, independent popular rescue efforts are an urgent nationalistic duty.

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 25, 2019

For the regime, the priority is self-preservation and the quashing of any protest or opposition to their political and religious tyranny.

The statement came just days after Maryam Rajavi tweeted in support of those affected. She said the tragic deaths in Golestan Province had “deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Iran” and urged the youth once again to “rush to the aid of the flood victims.”

Staff writer

Two provinces in northern Iran are suffering from devastating floods due to days of rain and snow in the region. Nine deaths have occurred so far in three provinces, with one more person still missing. Mazandaran and Golestan Provinces have experienced severe destruction due to flooding, and more rain is forecasted on Sunday.

 

Northern Iran is a popular destination for Nowruz because of its forests and greenery, so the flooded region is full of Iranians using their holiday to visit family members. The Iranian New Year, which is usually an occasion for celebration, has turned to a time of grief.

Flooding in Golestan

According to state-run media reports, roads leading to 70 villages in Golestan have been flooded. 20 villages in Golestan Province have been forced to evacuate.

 

Mojtaba Jamali, the Director General of the Golestan Province Crisis Management, told state-run media that the town Agh Ghola in Golestan Province was hit hardest by the floods, with more than ten villages flooded.

 

Jamali also reported that two people died in a landslide in Golestan.

 

Flood victims in Golestan are reportedly running out of food and urgently need supplies. Province officials have so far failed to provide any emergency aid to those affected by the deadly floods.

Flooding in Mazandaran

The Mazandaran Crisis Management Department reported that the recent floods affected approximately 200 villages in Mazandaran Province, damaging 1,500 homes in urban areas and between 30-50% of homes in rural areas.

More than 200 roads leading to Mazandaran are impassable due to flooding. Heavy snowfall has led to electricity and gas outages in more than 200 villages in Mazandaran’s highlands.

#Iran – Golestan Province March 22
Iran's officials are failing to provide any meaningful aid to the flood-stricken towns and villages in northern provinces.

This is while the Iranian regime is spending billions of dollars on interference in neighboring countries pic.twitter.com/QhZbcuuWve

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) March 22, 2019

Five deaths have been reported in Mazandaran, and another person is still missing.

 

Several cities in Mazandaran, including Babol, the largest city in the province, are dealing with shortages in drinking water due to flooded roads. These cities depend on water tankers to truck in their drinking water.

Flooding in North Khorasan

 

An additional two deaths have been reported in North Khorasan Province. State media has not reported fully or accurately on the floods, so the full extent of flooding in this province is not yet known.

Message from Maryam Rajavi

 

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), sent her condolences to the people affected by the floods in Golestan, tweeting:

The harrowing deaths of a large number of people including innocent children in the flood in #Golestan Province has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of #Iran.

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 22, 2019

“The harrowing deaths of a large number of people including innocent children in the flood in #Golestan Province has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of #Iran,” she said. “My heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the survivors and the honorable people of #Golestan. I urge the public, particularly the youth, to rush to the aid of the flood victims. The clerical regime’s destructive policies and plunder of Iranian people’s assets, wasting them on terrorism and war, have left our people defenseless in the face of natural disasters, afflicting them with damages and casualties much higher than the world’s average.”

The MEK joins Mrs. Rajavi in sending condolences to those affected by the devastating floods in Iran.

Staff writer