Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority announced on Tuesday that floods and related disasters have killed at least 301 people and injured 385 over the past 10 weeks.
Hafiz Mohammad Yusuf Hammad, the authority’s spokesperson, gave the wider tally. Flash floods, heavy rainfall and landslides have affected 18,812 families across the country since the start of the current solar year. Nearly 2,000 homes were completely razed, and another 7,187 were partly damaged.
Roads took a beating as well. About 580 km (360 miles) were washed away or damaged. Farmland fared no better: nearly 26 000 acres (10 522 ha) of agricultural land and 4 030 acres (1 631 ha) of orchards were destroyed, according to reports citing the authority.
Officials said the work of assessing damage and helping affected families is still going on.
Afghanistan is among the countries most often hit by natural hazards. Floods, landslides, droughts and avalanches regularly kill people there, displace families and cost the economy dearly.
Sources
- 301 killed, 385 injured in seasonal floods, natural disasters in Afghanistan
- Floods and other natural disasters kill 301, injure 385 in Afghanistan over 10 weeks
