Thousands of Iranians in the southern port town of Sirik have lost access to drinking water after US strikes hit two reservoirs in the area, Iranian state media said on Wednesday.

The United States carried out strikes on the southern cities of Jask and Sirik and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, after what Washington said was Iran’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over Gulf waters.

The strikes damaged two reservoirs supplying the Bemani and Kouhestak areas of Sirik town.

“Unfortunately, following this attack, 20,000 residents of the region have lost access to safe drinking water, and with temperatures ranging between 45 (113 degrees Fahrenheit) and 50 degrees Celsius, conditions have become extremely difficult and critical for local inhabitants,” Iran’s state television quoted local water company officials as saying.

“The destruction of these reservoirs has created a major problem for the region’s water supply network,” it added, noting that the area had insufficient groundwater to replace the damaged reservoirs.

Efforts were under way to find alternatives for villages affected in the area, according to Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, a senior water company official in the southern province of Hormozgan.