Floods Cause Widespread Damage, Kill Dozens in Iran 

A wave of flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain wreaked havoc on many provinces throughout Iran on Thursday night, killing some 34 people and leaving 20 missing. 
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Friday afternoon placed the entirety of the country on flood alert, noting that 18 provinces were grappling with a summer deluge. 
“All resources have been mobilized to all affected regions,” the minister said, adding that Mazandaran, Tehran, Alborz, Markazi, Isfahan and Yazd were among the provinces hit worst by heavy rain. 
At least eight people died and 19 went missing after mudslides and landslides struck the Imamzadeh Davoud shrine in northwest Tehran, burying it deep in four meters of mud. 
Five cities in the province of Tehran were damaged by the waves of flood. The most damage was suffered by residents of Firuzkuh where 10 died from landslides, 16 are still missing and hundreds have been evacuated from the area. 
Across the country, roads have been blocked by floodwaters and many villages reported house destruction by mudslides.
Search and rescue teams are making efforts to find those still missing and families of victims have been notified to identify loved ones. 
Vahidi stated that management of the rain had been “decent” and casualties were minimal. He once again warned against camping in or near riverbanks as well as mountainous areas for the time being. 
Heavy rains are expected to continue and temperatures to drop in the province of Tehran for the next three days. 
Iran is not the only country in the region affected by heavier-than-usual monsoon rains this summer. Asian nations from India to Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Qatar have reported damage and fatalities from heavy rainfall over the past week.
The monsoon season usually lasts from mid-June and July to September. 
Last week, the first bout of torrential rain hit the southern province of Fars, killing 22 people and submerging some 15 cars parked near and inside a dry riverbank that was filled with floodwater in a matter of seconds.