According to the United Nations, more than 300 people die in flash floods in northern Afghanistan after heavy rain

RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press

9 minutes ago

An elderly man collects his belongings from his damaged home after severe flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods caused by seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said . (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 300 Afghans have died in flash floods that have also destroyed more than 1,000 homes in northern Baghlan province, according to the U.N. food agency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization said on Saturday it was distributing fortified biscuits to survivors of one of the many floods that hit Afghanistan in recent weeks following unusually heavy rains.

This is a recent update. AP’s earlier story follows below.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Flash floods caused by seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed hundreds of people and injured a “significant number,” a Taliban official said Saturday, without giving exact figures.

The floods mainly affected the northern region of the country. Baghlan province bore the brunt of flooding on Friday. Officials preliminarily reported that at least 50 people were killed and property destroyed in several districts.

In neighboring Takhar province, state media reported that at least 20 people were killed in the floods.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, posted on the social media platform on Saturday

Mujahid identified Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor and Herat provinces as the most affected. He added that “the extensive devastation” had resulted in “significant financial losses.”

He said the government had ordered to mobilize all available resources to rescue people, transport the injured and recover the bodies of the dead.

The Taliban Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the country’s air force had already started evacuating people in Baghlan, rescuing a large number of people stuck in flooded areas and transporting 100 injured people to military hospitals in the region.

Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said on

Videos posted on social media showed dozens of people gathering behind the hospital in Baghlan on Saturday to search for their loved ones. An official tells them to start digging graves while their staff is busy preparing the bodies for the burial ceremony.

Officials previously said at least 70 people died in heavy rains and flash floods in the country in April. Around 2,000 houses, three mosques and four schools were also damaged.