At least 153 people have died in the devastating flash floods that struck Afghanistan's northern provinces, the Interior Ministry confirmed on Saturday.
Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani told dpa that at least 131 fatalities were reported in Baghlan, the worst-hit province. Twenty people were killed in Takhar, and two in Badakhshan, he added. At least 100 others were reportedly injured.
Earlier, the country's National Disaster Management Authority had placed the nationwide death toll at 85, but other sources put a much higher number of fatalities.
Officials estimate that the number of casualties is likely to rise. Search and rescue operations continue in the flood-stricken areas, hampered by the inaccessibility of the affected areas.
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.
Extreme weather events such as floods and droughts are on the rise in Afghanistan. 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.