Iranian authorities have confirmed  76 people dead as a result of the floods which have continued to ravage parts of the country in recent weeks.

 On Sunday, flood warnings were issued for the eastern parts of Iran as forecasts showed that the heavy rains which began on Saturday were expected to continue.

“With the death of five people in the Khuzestan Province flood and another person in Ilam Province, the death toll has now reached 76 since 19 March,” a statement published online by the Coroner’s office read.

These two south-western provinces were the latest to be overwhelmed by floods which first hit the northeast of the usually arid country, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate from cities and villages.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the floods have caused immense loss to the government with many homes, roads, other infrastructure and farms damaged.

The head of the country’s meteorological service, Sahar Tajbakhsh told a parliamentary session that the floods do not necessarily mean that a decades-long drought has ended but that they were due to climate change and global warming.

The Islamic republic has continued to receive aid from neighbouring countries and other concerned nations, the latest being France which donated 210 tents and 114 pumps on Sunday.