Extreme weather in Afghanistan leaves 17 people dead, authorities say

Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms successful parts of Afghanistan near 17 group dormant and 26 injured complete nan past 24 hours, pinch much dense rainfall predicted, authorities said Sunday, nan latest casualties from utmost upwind successful nan state this season.

The number of casualties could summation arsenic crews from nan country’s National Disaster Management Authority study nan affected areas, nan authority’s spokesman, Yousuf Hammad, said successful a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly successful nan western, cardinal and northwestern parts of nan country, were affected.

The terrible upwind besides near 147 homes either wholly aliases partially destroyed, wiped retired 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of roads and destroyed cultivation onshore and irrigation canals and businesses, Hammad said. In all, he said, 530 families were affected.

Heavy rainfall was besides forecast to impact eastbound and cardinal parts of nan state Monday, and Hammad warned flooding was besides imaginable successful those areas. The disaster guidance authority warned residents to debar stream banks and areas astatine consequence of flooding successful those regions, and ordered section officials to beryllium connected standby to supply assistance.

Earlier this year, dense snowfall and flash floods near dozens of group dormant crossed nan country.

Afghanistan is highly susceptible to utmost upwind events, pinch snowfall and dense rainfall that trigger flash floods, often sidesplitting dozens, aliases moreover hundreds, of group astatine a time. In 2024, much than 300 group died successful springtime flash floods.

Decades of conflict, coupled pinch mediocre infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and nan intensifying effects of ambiance alteration person amplified nan effect of specified disasters, peculiarly successful distant areas wherever galore homes are built of mud and connection constricted protection against abrupt deluges aliases dense snowfall.