50 Killed in Afghanistan Floods

At least 50 people have died due to severe flooding in western Afghanistan, the regional police announced on Saturday.

This disaster comes just a week after similar floods claimed hundreds of lives in the northern part of the country.

According to Abdul Rahman Badri, the spokesperson for the police in Ghor province, the floods struck on Friday, resulting in significant casualties and leaving many others missing.

The floods also caused widespread destruction, demolishing 2,000 homes and damaging thousands more.

Additionally, thousands of livestock perished, and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land, bridges, canals, and trees were destroyed.

The flooding has severely disrupted transportation, blocking many roads both within and leading to the province.

Abu Ubaidullah, the head of disaster management in Ghor, described the situation as reaching "emergency" levels, with many areas, including the provincial capital Chaghcharan, heavily impacted by mud.

Ubaidullah emphasized the dire need for shelter, food, and clean water for those affected. He described the situation as "truly concerning."

These recent floods are part of a series of climate-related disasters that have hit Afghanistan in recent weeks.

More than 300 people were killed last week due to devastating floods, particularly in Baghlan province, as reported by the World Food Programme and officials from the Taliban government.

Efforts to rescue and provide relief have been hindered by blocked roads due to mud and debris. Both the United Nations and local authorities have warned that the death toll could rise as accessibility remains a significant challenge.

Water resource management expert Mohammad Asim Miyar noted that Afghanistan has experienced higher-than-usual rainfall this spring, making it exceptionally vulnerable to flood damage.

Since mid-April, flash floods and other flooding incidents have resulted in the deaths of about 100 people across ten Afghan provinces, inundating vast areas of agricultural land in a country where 80% of the population relies on farming for their livelihood.