The death toll from two days of heavy flooding in northern and eastern Afghanistan rose to at least 150 on Thursday, with scores more injured as rescue crews searched for survivors beneath the mud and rubble of collapsed houses.
Flash floods inundated the city of Charikar in northern Parwan province since Tuesday night. The health ministry said the local hospital was partially destroyed and many injured were being transferred to the capital Kabul.
Powerful flood waters in the mountainous province dislocated thousands of large rocks that caused major injuries and destroyed entire homes, burying people under the rubble, officials said. Several excavators reached the area and were digging for those stuck beneath the rubble.
Mohammad Qasim Haidari, Afghanistan's deputy minister for disaster management, said the casualty toll may rise as rescue teams and volunteers were still working to locate people buried under destroyed houses.
He said 102 people died in Parwan, 19 in the capital Kabul, 17 in northern Kapisa, seven in eastern Wardak, three in northern Panjshir, two in eastern Nangarhar and one in eastern Paktia and over 200 others were injured.
Heavy rains, compounded by mudslides, often threaten remote areas of Afghanistan, where infrastructure is poor. Summer often brings heavy rainfall and flooding to the country's north and east.
Wahida Shahkar, spokesperson for the Parwan provincial governor, said soldiers and police were deployed to help people search for their loved ones under the mud.
The head of the provincial hospital, Abdul Qasim Sangin, said every 30 minutes to an hour a corpse was being delivered to the hospital. He said several children were among the dead and some of the injured were in critical condition.
A popular vacation destination for many Afghans, Charikar was the location of many of Parwan province's casualties and also suffered much property destruction in the flooding.
Hamid Agha, 50, a Charikar resident, said he lost all his family members to the floods except two sons who are truck drivers and were delivering goods in another province.
Mr Agha was able to pull himself out of the rising waters but was unable to save his family. “Out of 11 family members in the house only I am alive,” he said. “We buried six bodies but four others are still missing.”
People were digging out their belongings, including blankets, clothes, mattresses and pillows, from houses partially or completely filled with mud on Thursday.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised full support to those who lost homes and family members. A group of Afghan businessmen delivered food and cash to families in Parwan.
Ahmad Tameem Azimi, spokesman of the disaster management ministry, said flooding blocked highways to eastern and northern provinces. “Along with rescuing people we are working to open the highways back to traffic,” he said on Wednesday.
More than 2,000 houses were destroyed in Parwan and more than 1,000 people were displaced, he said.
Ground and air support sent to help those trapped by the flooding reached the provinces, Mr Azimi said. The ministry had warned residents of possible flooding in the region with a social media alert late on Tuesday, he said.
Hundred of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed, with the heavy rain wiping out all the crops in 13 provinces. Houses and roads were destroyed in northern Kapisa, Panjshir and eastern Paktia provinces, Mr Azimi said.
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* Nada El Sawy
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
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