Youth Killed in Iran Water Crisis Protests

Iranians protest again water shortages in the Khuzestan province, July 15, 2021. (Twitter screenshot)
Iranians protest again water shortages in the Khuzestan province, July 15, 2021. (Twitter screenshot)
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Youth Killed in Iran Water Crisis Protests

Iranians protest again water shortages in the Khuzestan province, July 15, 2021. (Twitter screenshot)
Iranians protest again water shortages in the Khuzestan province, July 15, 2021. (Twitter screenshot)

A young man was shot dead during a second night of protests over water shortages in southwest Iran, a local official said on Saturday, blaming armed protesters for the shooting, state news agency IRNA reported.

Iran is facing its worst drought in 50 years, with protests breaking out in several cities and towns in the oil-rich Khuzestan province over the water crisis, which has affected households, devastated agriculture and livestock farming, and led to power blackouts.

“During the rally, rioters shot in the air to provoke the people, but unfortunately one of the bullets hit a person present at the scene and killed him,” Omid Sabripour, head of the governorate in the town of Shadegan, told IRNA.

Iranian media broadcast a video of the father of the victim, Mostafa Naimawi, who said his son was shot by rioters and not by government security forces.

“My son was not a trouble maker and had nothing to do with riots and disturbances,” the father, who was not identified by name, said in Arabic on the video that provided a Farsi translation.

Videos posted on social media have shown protesters setting fire to tires to block roads and security forces trying to disperse crowds as shots were heard. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

During some of the protests, people vented their anger with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”.

In recent weeks, thousands of workers in Iran’s key energy sector have also held protests, seeking better pay and working conditions in southern gas fields and some refineries in big cities.

Iran’s economy has been crippled by US sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers - some complaining that their wages are not being paid - and pensioners have been protesting for months, with discontent growing over high unemployment and an inflation rate of more than 50%.



14 Die in Central Nigeria Road Crash

A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
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14 Die in Central Nigeria Road Crash

A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

Fourteen people were killed on Saturday when a bus collided with a petrol tanker in central Nigerian Niger state, a road safety official told AFP Sunday.

The passenger bus rammed into the on-coming petrol tanker as the driver tried to overtake another bus outside Kusobogi village, 80 kms from the state capital Minna, Kumar Tsukwan, head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger state, said.

"Fourteen people died in the head-on collision while six others were injured and taken to hospital for medical attention," Tsukwan said.

He blamed "speeding and wrongful overtaking" by the bus driver for the accident.

The bus was heading to the northern city of Kaduna from the Nigerian economic capital Lagos, Tsukwan said.

Road accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads due largely to speeding and disregard to traffic rules.

Last week, 23 people died when a truck laden with goods and passengers overturned in northern city of Kano.