Araz News:On Friday 14^th May 2017, 60 civilians were killed and missing due to flooding in the cities of South Azerbaijan; Zanjan, Urmia, Ajab-Shir, Tabriz, Azar-Shar, Sulduz, Oshnavieh and  many villages.

The counties of Ajab-Shir and Azar-Shahr suffered the heaviest damage following the disaster and inadequate first aid and the high rate of  damage in these counties reported.

Esmail Najjar, the head of the disaster management organization of Iran, has said that heavy flood and landslide have claimed at least 35 lives in the four provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Zanjan, state agency reports.

It should be noted that the province witnessed the heaviest downpour of the past several years on Friday.

Shahin Fathi, vice president of the Red Crescent rescue operations has approved the death of 19 people in the wake of recent flooding in Eastern Azerbaijan.

Unfortunately, the fate of nearly 40 people  missing in floods in various cities of South Azerbaijan is not known. There is also the possibility of increasing the number of the death.

According to Araz News agency report, the governor of Urmia city ordered the emergency evacuation of the many villages of Urmia which were exposed to the  flood.

The main road communication has been cut off and two bridges have destroyed due to heavy flooding in South Azerbaijan up to now   .

It should be noted that several parts of South Azerbaijan faced with heavy flood disaster during these days. Unfortunately, negligible media coverage of this incident and Inadequate first aid shown discrimination of Iran’s regime against non-Persian area clearly.

It’s not the first time that Iran regime media have silenced against the incidents and events which happened at non Persian areas.

Here are some examples just happened in South Azerbaijan regions and none Persian areas: http://araznews.org/en/archives/6499

Araz news will monitor any further development about this issue.

By-H.A