At least 60 killed in Afghanistan flash flooding
Taliban officials report that over 60 individuals have perished and more than 100 have sustained injuries due to sudden floods in northern Afghanistan.
In Baghlan province, heavy rainfall struck five districts, resulting in numerous individuals being unaccounted for, with fears mounting that the casualty count may escalate as two additional storms are expected to hit the area on Friday night.
Social media imagery depicts torrents of water engulfing houses in various villages, causing widespread devastation.
The region has experienced an abnormal influx of rainfall in recent weeks, with over 100 fatalities attributed to flooding since mid-April.
According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s interior ministry, the deceased primarily hail from the Borka district in Baghlan province, where over 200 individuals are reportedly trapped in their residences.
While helicopters have been dispatched to Baghlan, situated directly north of Kabul, logistical challenges such as a shortage of night vision equipment may impede rescue efforts, as stated by the official to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Hedayatullah Hamdard, a local official, informed AFP that emergency personnel, including the military, are conducting search operations beneath mud and rubble to locate potential victims. Aid such as tents, blankets, and food has been distributed to families displaced by the destruction of their homes.
The main road connecting Kabul to northern Afghanistan is closed.
It comes after flooding last month in the west of the country killed dozens of people, leaving thousands requiring humanitarian aid.
About 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were also damaged.
Flash flooding happens when rain falls so heavily that normal drainage cannot cope.
Experts say a relatively dry winter has made it more difficult for the soil to absorb rainfall.
Torrential rain and flooding kill people every year in Afghanistan, where badly built houses in isolated rural areas are particularly vulnerable.
Afghanistan is among the globe’s most at risk nations from the effects of climate change, according to experts.
The nation is one of the poorest in the world, having been ravaged by decades of war which culminated in the withdrawal of a US-led coalition and the Taliban retaking control in 2021.
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
