TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has offered his gratitude to the staff of the Iranian Red Crescent Society for their efforts, especially during the recent floods which inundated most provinces across the country.

In a message on Sunday, ahead of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, Rouhani also praised director of Iran’s Red Crescent Society Ali Asqar Peyvandi, IRNA reported.

“Because of the sacrifices made by the Red Crescent Society, especially Ain the recent floods, I thank all authorities of the society, especially you,” Rouhani said, addressing Peyvandi.

Earlier, Peyvandi presented a report on the challenges that rescuers have so far dealt with like the deadly 2017 earthquake in western Iran, the Yasuj air crash and drought in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.

The floods caused by unprecedented flash rains in various parts of Iran in March and early April claimed the lives of scores of people and inflicted huge damage on the infrastructure, including bridges and roads.

Two million people were affected by the floods and hundreds of thousand people are living in tents.

Also on November 12, 2017, a fatal earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter hit the provincial city of Salas Babajani, killing 620 people and injuring about 12,000 others.

MH/PA