TEHRAN Director General of Gilan Headquarters for Natural Disasters said yesterday that eight people were killed in flood and landslide in the northern Province of Gilan during the past two days. Jamshid Resaei added that the victims were from the villages of Roudsar city and Asalem of Gilan Province which are surrounded by water. Four of the victims died when a car in which they were travelling was hit by flood waters and plunged into a valley in Asalem region of Talesh. The others were buried in their home under mud from a landslide in a village near Roudsar which followed torrential rains.

The region had received up to 253 millimeters (10 inches) of rain in the past two days. More than 2,400 homes were surrounded by water. Many roads and bridges have been destroyed by the rain, cutting off links between 27 villages from nearby towns. Rescuers have rushed to the scene to provide relief aid.