More than 300 hundred people have been reported killed in Afghanistan due to flash floods last week. On 10 and 11 May, heavy rainfall and flash floods struck north-eastern Afghanistan, affecting 21 districts across the provinces of Badakhshan (5 districts), Baghlan (10 districts) and Takhar (6 districts). Initial reports indicate 180 fatalities and more than 240 injuries across the three provinces.
According to various sources, as of 13 May, more than 300 people have died, an undefined number of people are still missing and at least a 1,600 people have been injured. 8,975 homes were either destroyed or damaged leaving thousands without shelter. In addition to damage and destruction to roads, bridges, and public schools, 11 health facilities across Baghlan and Takhar provinces have been affected disrupting health and nutrition services, and 4,260 livestock have been lost.
In the Tishkan district in Badakhshan province, eastern Afghanistan, at least 20,000 people are isolated due to floods. Approximately 5,000 houses have received damage or have been destroyed.
Farmlands have been submerged in a country where 80 percent of the more than 40 million people depend on agriculture to survive. “Lives and livelihoods have been washed away,” said Arshad Malik, country director for Save the Children. “The flash floods tore through villages, sweeping away homes and killing livestock. Children have lost everything. Families who are still reeling from the economic impacts of three years of drought urgently need assistance.”
Afghanistan is a poor country least prepared to cope with climate change patterns, such as the heavier seasonal rains, and needs help from the international community, according to Save the Children.
