Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on social media X that "hundreds of people succumbed to the catastrophic floods, while a significant number were injured".
He said the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor and Herat were the worst affected, adding that the "widespread devastation" had also led to "significant financial losses", with the government ordering the mobilization of all resources to rescue people, evacuate the injured and search for the dead.
People clean up damage caused by floods in Sheikh Jalal, Baghlan province, Afghanistan, May 11. Photo: Reuters
The World Food Programme said it was distributing nutritional biscuits to survivors of one of the many floods that have hit Afghanistan in recent weeks, mainly in the northern Baghlan province, which bore the brunt of the flooding on May 10.
In neighboring Takhar province, state media reported flooding killed at least 20 people.
Video posted on social media on May 11 showed dozens of people gathered behind the hospital in Baghlan, looking for their loved ones. An official advised them to start digging graves to prepare for burial of the bodies that hospital staff had removed.
The floods come as Afghanistan is still reeling from a series of earthquakes earlier this year as well as severe flooding in March, said Salma Ben Aissa, Afghanistan regional director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
“This should ring alarm bells for world leaders and international donors: we urge them not to forget Afghanistan in these turbulent global times,” she said.
In addition to the large number of deaths, infrastructure such as roads and power lines were also destroyed in Baghlan, Ghor, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Samangan, Badghis and Takhar provinces, the IRC said. The agency said it was preparing to scale up its emergency response in the affected areas.
On May 11, the Taliban Defense Ministry said the air force had begun evacuating people in Baghlan and had rescued a large number of people trapped in the flood zone, transporting 100 injured people to military hospitals in the area.
Afghanistan is a country prone to natural disasters and is considered by the United Nations to be one of the most vulnerable to climate change. In April, at least 70 people were killed in heavy rains and flash floods in the country. About 2,000 homes, three mosques and four schools were also damaged.
Ngoc Anh (according to AP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lu-quet-nghiem-trong-o-afghanistan-khien-hon-300-nguoi-thiet-mang-post295158.html
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