Twelve killed, dozens missing in flash flood in Afghanistan
Heavy flooding in Afghanistan left 12 killed and dozens missing as seasonal rain poured down in Maidan Wardak province, West of Kabul, the Taliban spokesman said on Sunday.
Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that about 40 people were missing after flash flooding late on Saturday hit the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province.
“With great sadness, we have received the news that 12 of our compatriots have been martyred and 40 others are missing,” Mujahid said
He added that urgent aid and emergency teams were being rushed to the disaster zone in the Jalrez district.
“Some financial losses have also been incurred,” the Taliban official said.
The provincial governor’s office also said in a statement that hundreds of homes had been damaged or destroyed and the missing people were believed to be under the rubble of collapsed homes.
It added that hundreds of hectares of agricultural land were washed out and destroyed and the floods closed the highway between the capital Kabul and the central Bamiyan province.
Afghanistan lies on the western edge of the Asian monsoon footprint, leading to flash floods to happen regularly every year during the wet season as heavy rain courses down dry riverbeds.
Last year in Afghanistan, the death toll from flooding after the annual monsoon reached 192 people.
The vast extent of death and damage prompted the ruling Taliban to appeal for aid from the international community.
Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has been largely cut off from international aid.
The lack of sufficient funding plunged the poverty-stricken nation into dire economic straits.
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