BAGHDAD, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people died in a wave of floods of torrential rain that fell on northern part of Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial police source said on Friday.
The floods swept through many villages in Shirqat area, some 280 km north of Iraqi capital Baghdad, and completely covered the villages of Khadhraniyah, Horiyah and Jirnaf, leaving seven people dead, including women and children, while many people are still missing, Mohammed al-Jubouri told Xinhua.
The sudden torrents surprised the families in the villages and forced them to resort to the roofs of their homes, while many others managed to leave their homes, Jubouri said.
Some of the floods came from the rugged area in west of the town of Shirqat and swept all the districts located in its lowland areas, Jubouri added.
Early in the morning, rescue teams from the provincial capital Tikrit rushed to the affected areas to help the residents and reach others who are surrounded by the floods, he said.
"The residents of these villages are currently living in a miserable condition, most of them homeless. Although the rains have stopped, the flow of torrents to the Tigris River is still strong, which is a threat to their lives," Jubouri added.
The floods came after torrential rain in the early morning on the rugged areas in the northern part of Salahudin province and caused a torrent of water to gush the town of Shirqat and nearby villages.
