At least three Afghan provinces have been hit by devastating flash floods as a new wave of flooding hits north of the country, officials reported on Saturday. Baghlan province is suffering the brunt of the disaster.
Officials are struggling to provide an accurate death toll, but a local representative quoted by TOLOnews estimates at least 150 fatalities in Baghlan province. The report also suggests another 100 people are injured.
Officials in neighbouring Takhar province reported more than 20 deaths, while Badakhshan province confirmed two fatalities and two missing people. The flooding caused widespread property and agricultural destruction across the affected areas.
The Afghan Health Ministry, in a statement, acknowledged the transfer of victims' bodies to regional hospitals, but emphasized the ongoing efforts to determine the exact number of deceased, as the scale of human losses remains unclear.
Rescue efforts are hampered by the inaccessibility of the affected areas. Dispatch of ground rescue teams has proven unsuccessful, prompting the Afghan Defence Ministry to deploy helicopters for search and rescue operations, as well as potential transportation of the deceased.
Residents in Baghlan have characterized the floods as exceeding any previous flooding events.
Afghanistan has been repeatedly hit by floods for some time now. At the start of the week, there were deaths and destruction in parts of the country after heavy rainfall. Last month, at least 70 people lost their lives in floods.
Experts blame the climate crisis for this. After decades of wars and conflicts, the country has hardly any means to mitigate the consequences of climate change.