Death toll rises to 150 in Afghan flash floods
- 27 Aug 2020
The death toll from flash floods in Afghanistan rose to 150 on Thursday as survivors and rescue workers combed through the debris of more than 1,500 homes that were destroyed to the north of the capital, Kabul.
Authorities moved more than 900 families out of areas of mountainous Parwan province that were devastated by the flash floods, triggered by exceptionally heavy rain this week.
"The search is still on as many people, we fear, are still buried under the rocks and rubble," said Tamim Azimi, a spokesman for the ministry of disaster management.
Members of the security forces, officials and survivors have been working in deep mud, searching for any survivors and trying to clear the disaster area for more than 28 hours.
The effort has been hampered by blocked and damaged roads.
At least 250 people were injured.
"The situation is very grim, the scale of loss is intense," said Azimi.
People search for victims of a mudslide following heavy flooding in Parwan province, Afghanistan. AP
Survivors said many children were among the dead. The death toll was expected to rise as families prepared for mass burials with extensive rubble yet to be cleared.
Afghanistan regularly suffers from drought but can be hit by very heavy rain during the south Asian monsoon.
Earlier, local resident Mohamed Qasim, a 45-year-old farmer, told AFP that 11 members of his family were killed in the floods. "My sister, her husband, two of their daughters and their children were all sleeping in one house," Qasim said.
"When the flood hit, the house collapsed on them. Eleven members of my family were killed, most of them my nieces and nephews."
Piles of rocks from destroyed buildings were scattered across the city, with roads blocked by mud and debris and cars flipped on their side.
Afghan state minister for disaster management Ghulam Bahawudin Jilani said that in northern Parwan province, water inundated the central city of Charikar, where the health ministry said the local hospital was partially destroyed and many of the injured were being transferred to the capital, Kabul.
The provincial spokeswoman, Wahida Shahkar, said the number of casualties may rise as people and rescue teams were still working to locate people buried under destroyed houses. On a highway just east of Kabul, at least eight people, including two children, drowned and 14 others were injured when the floodwaters swept the cars they were in away, according to spokesman Ahmad Tameem Azimi.
Shahkar said the flooding started in the central part of the province overnight, following heavy rains and destroying many homes. She called on the government to deliver aid and provide immediate support for workers digging through mud to reach those who were trapped.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a statement ordered aid be delivered to Parwan and other provinces while expressing his condolences to the victims' families.
Azimi, spokesman of the Disaster Management Ministry, said flooding blocked highways to eastern and northern provinces. "Along with rescuing people we are working to open the highways back to traffic,” he said.
More than 2,000 houses were destroyed in Parwan and over 1,000 people were displaced, Azimi said.
In parts of Charikar anxious residents gathered to see if rescue workers using heavy machinery would be able to pull loved ones from the wreckage.
Many residents stood on rooftops under continued heavy rain, holding on to their salvaged belongings.
"I was alone when the flood hit. I grabbed the window and was holding it for two hours until the neighbours came to rescue me," said 70-year-old Hamida.
"I lost everything, my jewellery, money and all my property."
Flash floods were also reported in other provinces — including Nangarhar, Panjshir, Wardak, Loghar, Paktika and Kapisa.
Torrential downpours and flash floods kill scores of people annually in Afghanistan.
Many poorly built homes, mostly in rural areas, are at risk of collapse during the rains in the impoverished country.
Earlier this month, 16 people, including 15 children, were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed when flash floods ravaged a village in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Agencies
