Floods in western Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people, according to provincial police on Saturday, following similar devastating floods in the north last week.
The floods on Friday destroyed around 2,000 houses and damaged many more homes and businesses, said Ghor police spokesman Abdul Rahman Badri. Thousands of cattle were killed, hundreds of hectares of farmland were ruined, and many roads, bridges, and trees were destroyed.
Abu Obaidullah, head of the province’s disaster management department, described the situation as an emergency, with survivors needing shelter, food, and water. Streets in the capital, Chaghcharan, are filled with mud.
Earlier this month, over 300 people died in floods in northern Baghlan province. The country has seen above-average rainfall this spring, leading to widespread flooding. Afghanistan, highly vulnerable to climate change, has been experiencing severe floods following a prolonged drought. The recent disasters have worsened an already severe humanitarian crisis, said the UN’s World Food Programme.
