Flash floods kill 20, leave over 100 missing in eastern Afghanistan

Kabul: At least 20 people were killed, around 80 others injured and more than 100 remain missing after flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall struck Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, a government official said.

Yousuf Hammad, spokesperson for Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said in a post on X that the floods caused heavy casualties in the province.

He said officials from the provincial disaster management department had arrived in the affected areas and launched search-and-rescue operations, including efforts to recover the bodies of victims, rescue the injured and search for those missing, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Preliminary figures on casualties and property losses will be released after investigations and damage assessments are completed, Hammad added.

In a separate statement posted on X, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Afghan government, expressed condolences to the families of those killed and stressed the need to speed up ongoing search-and-rescue operations.

According to local authorities, Parun, the provincial capital of Nuristan, was the worst-hit area, with numerous houses and infrastructure facilities damaged by the floods.

On June 9 the Afghanistan authorities announced that At least 301 people have lost their lives and 385 others sustained injuries from seasonal flash floods and related natural disasters sweeping across Afghanistan in the span of 10 weeks.

The disasters have also wreaked widespread devastation on infrastructure and livelihoods, according to Hafiz Mohammad Yusuf Hammad, spokesperson for the country’s National Disaster Management Authority.

Nearly 2,000 homes have been completely razed, while an additional 7,187 have sustained partial damage, said Hammad, adding that around 580 km of roads have been washed away, and agricultural produce spanning more than 30,300 acres of farmland has been submerged or destroyed.

A total of 18,812 families have been affected nationwide, the official added.

Afghanistan ranks among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with flash floods, landslides, droughts, and avalanches repeatedly claiming lives, resulting in substantial economic impacts and displacing families.

IANS