5 killed as floods hit southwestern Iran

Five people were killed after flooding caused by heavy rainfall swept through Iran's southwestern Fars province over the past two days, Iranian state media reported Sunday.

According to the Mehr news agency, Gholam Reza Gholami, head of crisis management in Fars province, said the area recorded 186 millimeters (about 7.3 inches) of rain over the two-day period.

The unusually heavy rainfall led to the deaths of five people, Gholami said.

The floods inflicted significant damage on the agricultural sector, the Iranian official said, stressing the need for greater preparedness to deal with similar weather-related emergencies in the future.