At least 14 people have died due to flash floods caused by heavy rains across Afghanistan in recent days.
A Taliban government official said in the past three days, 14 people had died and one was missing due to the rain and flash floods.
The torrential downpours and ensuing flash floods have affected at least 14 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, including Herat and Farah in the west, Laghman in the east, Uruzgan in the south, Khost in the southeast, and Sar-e Pul in the north.
Over the past 72 hours the floods have destroyed more than 140 houses and killed over 2000 heads of livestock in rural areas, National Disaster Management Ministry spokesman Janan Sayeq said.
Several roads in mountainous provinces, such as in Badakhshan, Nuristan and Kunar, were temporarily closed due to rainstorms, floods, and landslides.
After a dry winter, Afghanistan has witnessed heavy snowfall, intense rains, and flash floods in recent months, resulting in more than 130 deaths, and the destruction of thousands of homes, according to official data.
The country is among the most vulnerable nations in the world to climate change and the least prepared to respond to natural disasters, according to a recent report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The situation has been further exacerbated by a significant decrease in international assistance and the freezing of the country's foreign assets amid an ongoing economic crisis, particularly after the Taliban assumed power in August 2021.
Australian Associated Press
