The death toll from flash floods in northern Afghanistan’s Baghlan province has exceeded three hundred. Many people are missing. The death toll may rise.
In many areas, communication systems have broken down due to waterlogging of important roads. Highways in Kabul and northern Afghanistan were closed. Power, water and food shortages have occurred in these areas.
Heavy rains in the past few days have caused severe flooding in five districts of the country’s northern Baghlan province.
Citing figures from Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, the IOM says more than 1,500 houses have been damaged or destroyed in Baghlan’s Jadid district alone, and hundreds of people have died.
The Afghan government said 62 people had died as of Friday night. But the number of casualties started increasing from Saturday morning.
Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said hundreds of our people have been killed in this catastrophic flood.
Apart from Baghlan, northeastern Badakhshan Province, central Ghor and western Herat were also heavily affected. Officials in Uttarakhand province reported 20 deaths on Saturday.
Most of those who died in the flood were people from Borka district in Baghlan province, said Abdul Matin Kani, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, adding that more than two hundred people were trapped inside their homes.
Besides providing food and relief, rescue workers are conducting operations in search of missing people, the authorities said. The country’s army and police department joined the rescue operation.
