Flood hits Afghanistan after heavy rain, 50 dead

Kabul: Heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan have claimed the lives of at least 50 people, an official reported on Saturday.

Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, head of the information department for Ghor province, informed Reuters that there was no available data on the number of injured individuals from the rain spell that began on Friday. The heavy rains have also severed many key roads to the area.

Zaeem detailed the extensive damage, noting that 2,000 houses were completely destroyed, 4,000 were partially damaged, and over 2,000 shops were submerged in the province's capital, Feroz-Koh.

This disaster follows flash floods caused by heavy rains in northern Afghanistan last week, which devastated villages, resulting in the deaths of 315 people and injuries to more than 1,600, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

In a related incident on Wednesday, an Afghan Air Force helicopter crashed due to "technical issues" during a recovery mission in Ghor province. The helicopter was attempting to retrieve the bodies of people who had fallen into a river, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to 12 others, according to the country's defence ministry.

Afghanistan, prone to natural disasters, is considered by the United Nations to be one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The nation has faced a significant reduction in aid following the Taliban's takeover as foreign forces withdrew in 2021. Development aid, which was crucial for government finances, has been drastically cut.

The aid shortfall has worsened in recent years as foreign governments deal with competing global crises and increasing condemnation of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women.