Over 300 killed in Afghanistan floods as humanitarian crisis unfolds

KABUL: The death toll from flooding in Afghanistan has crossed 300, said the Word Food Programme on Sunday, reported CNN.

Resulting in a massive humanitarian crisis, the floods have wreaked havoc in the Afghan provinces of Badakhshan, Ghor, Baghlan, and Herat. Due to flooding, nearly 2,000 homes have been damaged, and widespread destruction has taken place in the provinces

"Flash floods ravage Afghanistan, killing more than 300 people in Baghlan and destroying more than 1000 houses," the WFP said in a post on X.

"This has been one of many floods over the last few weeks, due to unusually heavy rainfall. WFP is now distributing fortified biscuits to the survivors," it added.

Following the deadly floods in four districts of Baghlan, at least 130 people have died, and approximately 100 others have been injured.

Moreover, local officials in Baghlan Province stated that the death toll may rise even further.

According to officials, more than a thousand residential homes, thousands of hectares of agricultural land, and hundreds of heads of livestock have also been lost in the floods, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, those who lost relatives in the floods are calling on the interim government and both domestic and international organizations to address the challenges and rescue those who are trapped.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been left stranded without access to services, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which is organizing its emergency response to the flooding that affects seven provinces.

Salma Ben Aissa, director of IRC Afghanistan, stated, "These latest floods have caused a major humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan, which is still reeling from a string of earthquakes at the beginning of this year as well as severe flooding in March," according to CNN.

"Livelihoods have been decimated and entire families have been lost in communities," she said.

Earlier this month, heavy downpours, followed by floods, claimed the lives of at least 14 people and has also resulted in widespread destruction across the nation

Last month, nine people were killed after their houses collapsed due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the Greshk and Kajaki districts of Afghanistan's Helmand province.