TEHRAN

At least five people were killed and nine others were injured after deadly flash floods wreaked havoc in parts of northern and western Tehran, Iran's capital, early Thursday.

According to emergency officials, the worst affected area is the mountainous Imamzadeh Davood locality in northwest Tehran, which is home to a popular shrine that draws both local and foreign pilgrims.

The death toll was initially two but has now risen to five after search, relief, and rescue operations. Many people are also reported missing.

The flash floods occurred around 2:00 a.m. local time on Thursday (2130 GMT Wednesday) after a heavy downpour resulted in landslides and mudslides in Tehran's mountainous Imamzadeh Davood area, officials said.

Shaheen Fathi, the head of Iran Red Crescent Society's Tehran chapter, said the massive downpour resulted in flooding and mudslides in several parts of western and southern Tehran, with the mountainous Imamzadeh Davood area being the worst hit.

He said multiple rapid response and rescue teams have been called in to look for potentially missing people.

The Imamzadeh Davood shrine, which dates back to the Safavid period (1501-1736) and lies close to Tochal ski resort in the Alborz Mountains, is one of the city's popular trekking routes.

President Ebrahim Raisi, who is presently touring western Hamadan province, has urged the concerned authorities to provide relief to those affected by flash floods, his office said in a statement.

Iran, a country that has seen long spells of drought, has been occasionally hit by devastating floods, mostly in summers.

Experts attribute such extreme weather variations to climate change.

In recent weeks, the southern Fars province of Iran has been battered by flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall and flooding, killing at least 22 people.

In 2019, heavy floods in southern provinces, including Shiraz, claimed at least 76 lives besides causing damage of around $2 billion.