At least 40 individuals have lost their lives and 347 have been injured due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall in eastern Afghanistan, the health ministry reported on Tuesday.
According to CNN, the storms have resulted in the destruction of numerous homes, leaving approximately 1,500 children displaced, as noted by Save the Children.
The ministry also highlighted that the storms damaged a reception center in Torkham, established to assist some of the 650,000 Afghans who have returned since September 2023 following Pakistan’s migrant crackdown.
Many affected individuals are stranded without access to essential needs, according to the International Rescue Committee.
Flash floods surged through a valley in the Qala area of Dara district, Panjshir province, on July 15, 2024, after heavy rainfall.
Emergency personnel have been actively providing health services, according to the health ministry.
The IRC has dispatched a mobile health team to the most severely affected areas in Nangarhar province and is preparing to deploy two additional emergency response teams.
“The loss of life and devastation in flood-affected areas is a fresh disaster for Afghanistan. Our thoughts are with the people impacted by this tragedy and the first responders working to rescue and provide medical care to families and individuals,” said IRC Afghanistan Director Salma ben Aissa.
These storms come just two months after significant flooding and rainfall in the northeast killed over 300 people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, according to the World Food Programme.
