Afghanistan is reeling from devastating flash floods that ripped through multiple provinces on Friday, killing nearly 315 people and injuring more than 1,600. The floods have also caused widespread damage to homes, livestock, and infrastructure.
The northern Baghlan province was one of the hardest hit, with over 300 people killed there alone. Aid agencies have warned of a widening humanitarian crisis as people struggle to cope with the aftermath of the floods.
Afghan authorities have reported several people missing after heavy rains on Friday that sent roaring rivers of water and mud crashing through villages and across agricultural land in several provinces. Healthcare facilities and vital infrastructure have been damaged, and thousands of homes and livestock have been wiped out.
Muhammad Yahqoob, who has lost 13 members of his family in the floods, told Reuters, “We have no food, no drinking water, no shelter, no blankets, nothing at all. Floods have destroyed everything.” He added that out of 42 houses in his village, only two or three remain.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the interior ministry, told AFP that 131 people had been killed in Baghlan, and the toll could rise. He said that many people are still missing.
Another 20 people were reported dead in northern Takhar province and two in neighboring Badakhshan.
Din Mohammad Hanif, Taliban’s economy minister, urged the United Nations, humanitarian agencies, and private businesses to provide support for those hit by the floods.
Arshad Malik, the Afghanistan director for Save the Children, said, “Lives and livelihoods have been washed away. The flash floods tore through villages, sweeping away homes and killing livestock.” He estimated that 310,000 children lived in the worst-hit districts and that children have lost everything.
Meanwhile, the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and extended his condolences to the families of the victims. He added that the UN was working with local authorities on providing assistance.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has called for immediate aid for flood victims in the country. He said that the recent floods are a stark reminder of Afghanistan’s vulnerability to the climate crisis and that both immediate aid and long-term planning are needed.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is also preparing a rapid response, adding that the floods should act as an “alarm bell” reminding world leaders and donors not to forget a country devastated by decades of conflict and beset by natural calamity.
