At least 50 people are dead following a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday.
Afghan men collect their belongings from damaged homes after heavy flooding, Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. /CFP
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, the head of the information department for the central Ghor Province, said that there was no information about how many people were injured in the rain spell that began on Friday, which had also cut off many key roads to the area.
Zaeem added that 2,000 houses were completely destroyed, 4,000 partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops were under water in the province's capital, Feroz-Koh.
Last week, flash floods caused by heavy rains devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday.
On Wednesday, a helicopter used by the Afghan air force crashed due to "technical issues" during attempts to recover the bodies of people who had fallen into a river in Ghor, killing one and injuring 12 people, the country's Defense Ministry said.
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters and the United Nations considers it one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
It has battled a shortfall in aid after the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew from the country in 2021, since development aid that formed the backbone of government finances was slashed.
(Cover: An Afghan man collects his belongings from his damaged home after heavy flooding, Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. /CFP)