At Least 50 Dead, Dozens Missing as Heavy Rains Cause Flash Floods in Western Afghanistan

Islamab: Flash floods from heavy seasonal rains in western Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people and dozens remain missing, a Taliban official said on Saturday, ding death toll was based on preliminary reports and might rise. Afghanistan has been witnessing unusually heavy seasonal rains.

hard-hit province of Ghor has suffered significant financial losses, said Abdul Wahid Hamas, spokesman for provincial governor, after thousands of homes and properties were damaged and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land destroyed following Friday’s floods, including capital city Feroz Koh.

Taliban’s government chief spokesman posted on social platform X, mourning “ loss of our fellow Afghans,” and urged “ responsible authorities ... to provide all necessary support to alleviate suffering.” He also called on “our benevolent donors” to help and humanitarian organisations to provide affected communities with aid.

Last week, UN food agency said exceptionally heavy rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of houses, mostly in norrn province of Baghlan, which bore brunt of floods on May 10.

Survivors have been left with no home, no land, and no source of livelihood, World Food Organisation said. Most of Baghlan is “inaccessible by trucks,” said WFP, ding that it is resorting to every alternative it can think of to deliver food to survivors

latest disaster came on heels of devastating floods that killed at least 70 people in April. waters also destroyed about 2,000 homes, three mosques and four schools in western Farah and Herat, and sourn Zabul and Kandahar provinces.