At least 200 dead in flash floods in Afghanistan; Thousands of houses destroyed

NEW DELHI: Flash floods in northern Afghanistan killed at least 200 people, according to a United Nations statement on Saturday.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP that Friday’s heavy rains triggered massive flooding in Baghlan province, killing over 200 people and destroying or damaging thousands of homes.

In Baghlani Jadid district, an IOM emergency relief director cited figures from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority that up to 1,500 houses were affected and “more than 100 people died.” Taliban government officials reported 62 deaths as of Friday evening. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman, said on would have lost.

Flash floods have hit several provinces across Afghanistan, with officials in northern Takhar province reporting 20 deaths on Saturday. Friday’s heavy rains also caused significant damage in northeastern Badakhshan province, central Ghor province and western Herat province, officials said.

The Defense Ministry said rescue workers have been deployed to the affected areas and are working to rescue injured and stranded people.

Afghanistan, a country devastated by four decades of war and one of the world’s poorest, is seen by scientists as one of the least prepared countries for the consequences of global warming, exacerbated by a relatively dry winter that made it even more difficult so that the ground can absorb the rain.