Search for survivors as Afghan floods kill at least 70

Search and rescue teams were on Wednesday searching for victims of floods that hit Afghanistan's northern province of Parawan.

Heavy flooding has killed at least 70 people and injured dozens of others as heavy seasonal rains drenched northern and eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

A spokesperson for northern Parwan province Wahida Shahkar said the number of casualties may rise as rescue teams work to locate people buried under destroyed houses. She said at least 66 people were killed and 90 were injured in the province.

The head of the provincial hospital said several children were among the dead and some injured are in a critical condition.

Shahkar said the flooding started in the central part of the province overnight following heavy rains, destroying many homes. She called on the government to deliver aid and provide immediate support for workers digging through mud to reach those who were trapped.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a statement ordered aid be delivered to Parwan and other provinces while expressing his condolences to the victims' families.

Ahmad Tameem Azimi, spokesman of the Disaster Management Ministry, said flooding blocked highways to eastern and northern provinces.“Along with rescuing people were are working to open the highways back to the traffic,” he said.

Azimi said at least 300 houses were destroyed in Parwan and over a thousand people displaced. He said ground and air support sent to help those trapped by the flooding had reached the provinces.

Summer often brings heavy rainfall in northern and eastern Afghanistan, leading to floods that leave hundreds dead every year.