TEHRAN -- At least seven people have lost their lives in a flash flood triggered by heavy rains in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, Iranian official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

Two people trapped inside a car by floodwaters were killed at the Enqelab Square in Mashhad in the Khorasan Razavi province on Wednesday, Hamidreza Kafinia, the managing director of Mashhad Municipality's Fire and Safety Services Organization, was quoted as saying.

He added that rescue boats had been stationed on the Enqelab Square, while rescuers searched the cars trapped in the floodwaters for potential survivors and victims.

On the same day, flooding caused the collapse of a residential building in another neighborhood in the city, killing one woman and her four children, said Kafinia.

At least 250 families were sheltered in safe places in the city and nearby villages, the IRNA reported.

Heavy rains have started in Khorasan Razavi province since Tuesday and are expected to continue in the coming days, according to the provincial meteorological organization.