9 Children Killed as Severe Storms Hit Afghanistan

At least nine children have been killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan after violent storms and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, as the country braces for further weather-related dangers amid intense snowfall, local officials said.

Emergency authorities in Kandahar Province reported that strong winds and torrential rain claimed the lives of six children earlier this week, while also causing widespread property damage across several districts. The storms damaged numerous homes, compounding the hardship faced by local communities.

In a separate incident in eastern Nuristan Province, a rain-induced landslide struck a house in the village of Quraysh, killing three members of the same family and injuring two others. The provincial government spokesperson confirmed that the victims included two 10-year-old girls and a young boy.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses in Ghazni province said heavy snowfall over the past 24 hours reached depths of around 80 centimeters, forcing authorities to shut markets and block key roads as conditions deteriorated.

The humanitarian situation has been further aggravated by power outages across northern Afghanistan, after electricity imports from Turkmenistan were disrupted. Afghan officials said the outages began overnight after heavy rain and strong winds damaged transmission lines supplying power to several northern provinces.

Local media reported that the combined impact of extreme weather, infrastructure damage and power cuts has intensified the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands of families vulnerable as winter conditions worsen.