At least 61 people have been killed in Afghanistan over the past three days after heavy snowfall and rainfall hit several parts of the country, disaster officials said on Saturday.
The deaths were reported mainly from central and northern provinces between Wednesday and Friday, according to Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.
Initial assessments show that 110 people were injured and 458 houses were either partially or completely destroyed. Around 360 families have been affected by the severe weather, authorities said in posts shared on the social media platform X.
Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel on snow-covered roads.
A spokesman for the disaster authority said that most deaths were caused by roof collapses and avalanches, while several people also died from frostbite as temperatures dropped below zero. In the southern province of Kandahar, six children were killed on Wednesday when the roof of their home collapsed during strong winds and heavy rain, according to local emergency officials.
The extreme weather has also disrupted infrastructure.
The Salang highway, a key route connecting northern Afghanistan with the rest of the country, has been closed. Food supplies were distributed to travelers stranded on a mountain pass in Bamyan province. A power transmission line importing electricity from Uzbekistan was damaged, leaving households in nearly 12 provinces without electricity.
The disaster adds to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations estimating that nearly half of the population will require aid this year.
Heavy snow and rain trigger avalanches in Afghanistan, 61 dead
At least 61 people have been killed in Afghanistan over the past three days after heavy snowfall and rainfall hit several parts of the country, disaster officials said on Saturday.
The deaths were reported mainly from central and northern provinces between Wednesday and Friday, according to Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.
Initial assessments show that 110 people were injured and 458 houses were either partially or completely destroyed. Around 360 families have been affected by the severe weather, authorities said in posts shared on the social media platform X.
Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel on snow-covered roads.
A spokesman for the disaster authority said that most deaths were caused by roof collapses and avalanches, while several people also died from frostbite as temperatures dropped below zero. In the southern province of Kandahar, six children were killed on Wednesday when the roof of their home collapsed during strong winds and heavy rain, according to local emergency officials.
The extreme weather has also disrupted infrastructure.
The Salang highway, a key route connecting northern Afghanistan with the rest of the country, has been closed. Food supplies were distributed to travelers stranded on a mountain pass in Bamyan province. A power transmission line importing electricity from Uzbekistan was damaged, leaving households in nearly 12 provinces without electricity.
The disaster adds to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations estimating that nearly half of the population will require aid this year.