The authorities on Monday ordered the immediate evacuation of flood-stricken cities in western Iran as rivers burst banks, dams overflowed and vast areas were cut off from communication.<br /><br />The highest level of alert was declared in Lorestan Province with four or five cities “completely critical,” state television reported from Khorramabad, the provincial capital.<br /><br />“In Khorramabad the water has risen by as much as three meters in parts,” the television broadcast said, with reports elsewhere of areas “completely submerged with residents stranded on their rooftops.<br />
