Hundreds dead in Afghanistan after flash floods

HISTORY: :: Baghlan, Afghanistan

Hundreds of people were killed and more than 1,600 injured in flash floods in northern Afghanistan, authorities said on Sunday (May 12).

According to the Taliban-run refugee ministry, thousands of houses were damaged and livestock destroyed after heavy rains.

Meanwhile, aid groups warn of the chaos spreading as health facilities and vital infrastructure have also been damaged.

For those who survived, like Muhammad Yahqoob, their focus is on burying the dead.

“The flash floods destroyed all our houses. I lost 13 members of my family including women and children and so many livestock were also destroyed.”

But moving forward is not easy and people are struggling to cope.

“We have no food, no drinking water, no shelter, no blankets, nothing at all, the floods have destroyed everything. Of the 42 houses, only two or three remain. The floods destroyed the entire valley.”

In a statement, the Taliban economy minister called on the United Nations and private companies to help those affected by the flooding.

Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters and the United Nations considers it one of the countries most affected by climate change.

But after the Taliban came to power following the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021, the country struggled with a lack of aid supplies.

This is because development aid, which forms the backbone of government finances, has been cut.

This has worsened in subsequent years as foreign governments grapple with competing global crises and increasing condemnation of the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women.