ISLAMABAD: Heavy rainfall has caused catastrophic flooding and landslides across Afghanistan, leaving at least 99 people dead and 154 injured over the past nine days, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority confirmed on Sunday.
The intense downpours, which began on 26 March, have triggered widespread destruction, including violent thunderstorms and lightning, resulting in significant human and material losses. Hafiz Mohammad Yusuf Hammad, the authority’s spokesman, said the disaster has “completely or partially destroyed 5,000 houses, washed away 355 kilometres of roads and inundated more than 14,405 acres of agricultural land” across the country. He added that a total of 8,532 families have been affected.
Rescue and relief teams have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas, and emergency aid distribution is underway, while assessments of the overall damage continue.
Afghanistan’s meteorological department has forecast continued heavy rainfall and issued a “new warning” of potential flooding in remote and vulnerable regions across all 34 provinces. Authorities are urging communities to remain vigilant as the situation evolves.
Hammad emphasised the scale of the emergency, highlighting the urgent need for relief efforts to reach affected populations. The floods have not only caused significant human casualties but also inflicted severe financial and material losses in one of the country’s most impoverished regions.
