50 people have died following severe rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, an official reported on Saturday.
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, head of the information department for Ghor province, told Reuters that the rain spell, which began on Friday, has also cut off many key roads in the area. While there is no information yet on the number of injured, Zaeem noted that 2,000 houses were completely destroyed, 4,000 partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops were submerged in the province’s capital, Feroz-Koh.
This disaster follows last week’s flash floods in northern Afghanistan, which killed 315 people and injured more than 1,600, according to authorities.
Adding to the crisis, a helicopter used by the Afghan air force crashed on Wednesday due to “technical issues” during an operation to recover bodies from a river in Ghor province, resulting in one death and 12 injuries, as reported by the country’s defense ministry.
Afghanistan is highly prone to natural disasters and is considered by the United Nations to be among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The situation has been exacerbated by a significant reduction in aid following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, when foreign forces withdrew from the country. Development aid, which was crucial for government finances, has since been drastically cut.
The aid shortfall has worsened in recent years as foreign governments face multiple global crises and increasing criticism of the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women.
