Afghanistan: 39 dead as flash floods destroy thousands of homes

As many as 39 people have died in incidents of flash flooding in the past week with new districts in the east, south, south-east, and central regions of Afghanistan impacted by heavy rains.

"Since 5 July, flash floods have reportedly killed 39 people across five provinces - Uruzgan (20), Ghazni (6), Nuristan (7), Paktya (3) and Zabul (3). Nine of those killed were children, including six in Ghazni and three in Paktya provinces," the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a flood update.

The heavy rains have damaged or destroyed around 2,900 houses, a tenfold increase since the last reporting period, and also disrupted livelihoods. Critical civilian infrastructure such as roads and bridges have also been impacted.

With the rains, land has slipped resulting in unexploded ordnance being transported into several villages of Paktya. This risk will increase as heavy rains continue.

Families assessed to date report needing emergency shelter, non-food items, food and water, sanitation, and hygiene support.

In the eastern region, heavy rain caused new flash flooding in four districts and affected close to 500 families - 213 families in Nangarhar, 200 families in Laghman, 26 families in Kunar, and 14 families in Nuristan. This is the third time that the eastern region has experienced flash flooding in less than a month.

Three new provinces in the Southern Region - Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul - have been affected by heavy rains. Initial reports from partners and the ANDMA office indicate that some 600 households are affected in Uruzgan and Zabul, including damaged agricultural lands and livestock.

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There are unconfirmed reports of 23 deaths - three people reportedly killed in Zabul from a house that collapsed and 20 people reportedly killed in Uruzgan in a bus that was overturned.

Multiple localized assessments and relief operations are ongoing. OCHA said that it continues to coordinate the emergency response on behalf of humanitarian partners in all four regions affected - central, eastern, southern, and south-eastern regions.

• MENA