As Iranian officials warn of flash floods in more than 10 provinces in Iran, reports from flood victims indicate that the regime has failed to provide much needed aid to flood stricken areas.

Despite state reports of government aid to the flood stricken areas, locals complain that not enough is being carried out. Ordinary citizens are helping each other in these time of crisis.

Vides on social media showed residents of Sarpole Zahab and Salase Babajani, who are still without minimum facilities more than a year after an earthquake struck in the west of Iran, gathering food and supplies for flood victims in the north.

Mohammad Nourizad, a former reporter from the state-run Kayhan Daily said in a video published online that one of the reasons for the severe flash floods in the northern town of Gorgan were measures by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

“One of the reasons behind the severe flooding of Gorgan River was a dam built by the IRGC that obstructed the water. The other reason was because the gates of Vashmgir Dam were not open and were under 10 meters of mud and had not been dredged,” the journalist said in the video.

Tabnak state-run website also reported on the critical state of northern provinces, adding that officials had failed to act in time.

“The important issue to note about the destructive and lethal flash floods… is the failure of officials to be by the side of flood victims,” the website wrote.

“This failure was so significant that a few days after the floods, in a crisis management meeting with the presence of (Eshagh) Jahangiri, the First Vice President, the governor of Golestan was dismissed; A governor who was on vacation abroad,” Tabnak wrote.

According to reports at least nine people died in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan and the north eastern province of North Khorasan.

The floods have been most severe in the north in the past few days but have now reached southern provinces as well.

Videos on social media show flash floods in the southern town of Shiraz in Fars province with cars being swept away. Social media reports indicate a high number of fatalities though the numbers have yet to be confirmed.

Many of the flood victims were travelers from other areas who had come to Shiraz for the Nowruz holiday.

According to the IRNA state-run News Agency, Arvand River in the southern city of Abadan was also flooded with water washing in on the streets.

The news agency also said that a three year old and five year old child drowned in a river in Bechareh village in Aravandkenar.

Videos on social media also show that the Dez Dam in the southwestern province of Khuzestan had also overflown.

The head of the Qazvin Crisis Management Department has warned of flash floods in 58 villages in the north western province.

Source » irannewswire