Flash floods in Iran claim six lives: State media

At least six people have been killed and eight others are missing after flash floods swept through southern Iran, a region usually parched, state media reported Monday.

"Five foreigners and one Iranian died due to flooding of Halil River in Jiroft and eight people are missing," the official IRNA news agency said.

It did not specify the nationality of those who died.

Jiroft is a city located in the normally dry southern province of Kerman.

Scientists say climate change amplifies extreme weather, including droughts as well as the potential for the increased intensity of rainstorms.

Iran has endured repeated droughts in the past decade, but also regular floods, a phenomenon made worse when torrential rain falls on sun-baked earth.

In 2022, heavy rains in Iran's south left at least 80 people dead and caused damage estimated at about $200 million.