TEHRAN, Mar. 31 (MNA) – On a visit to flood-hit regions in Mazandaran Province, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari expressed the preparedness of his forces to reconstruct damaged houses and villages.

The IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari arrived in flood-hit northern Golestan Province for the second time this week yesterday morning to inspect the relief operations by the IRGC forces.

Jafari also paid a visit to flood-affected areas in Mazandaran Province yesterday afternoon, during which he said “in the recent floods, the Basij and other revolutionary institutions consider serving the people in affected areas in Golestan and Mazandaran to be a prime duty.”

The IRGC chief commander added that water from the saturated areas has been evacuated, calling on the government to financially help the families in affected areas to rebuild their houses and villages.

Meanwhile, he stressed that all armed forces including the IRGC, Army, and Basij will continue to stand alongside the people and provide relief.  He also expressed the readiness of the forces under his command to rebuild villages and people’s houses in damaged areas.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei earlier this week called on officials and the people to assist the flood-affected people. Armed forces including the IRGC, Army, Basij, and Iran’s Red Crescent, and all other relief forces have been assisting the people in flood-hit regions since then. Flash floods caused by heavy rain across Iran, especially in northern Golestan and Mazandaran provinces and Shiraz in southwest Iran have claimed 42 lives, according to the head of Iranian Legal Medicine Organization yesterday.

KI/FNA13980110000780