Monsoon-driven flash flooding kills at least 20 in Afghanistan

Rescue teams are racing to scope Nuristan state arsenic devastation continues crossed the region.

At slightest 20 radical person been killed aft monsoon-driven flash floods struck Afghanistan’s eastbound Nuristan province.

Disaster officials and the governor’s bureau reported that the floods deed connected Monday, destroying houses and shops successful the province’s main city, Parun. The monsoon has wreaked havoc crossed the portion successful caller weeks, sidesplitting dozens of radical successful India and Nepal.

At slightest 20 bodies person been recovered and much than 80 radical were injured, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).

The casualties were reported successful Parun and different areas of Nuristan, which borders Pakistan. The politician of the provincial superior arsenic good arsenic respective determination employees were among the missing, the governor’s bureau said.

Officials from the provincial catastrophe absorption section person launched search-and-rescue operations, including efforts to retrieve bodies and find the missing.

Ashiqullah Safi, caput of section NGO Shpoul, told the AFP quality bureau the flood had “completely destroyed the municipality”.

Hotels and dozens of shops were reportedly destroyed, and residents were searching the debris-strewn country without due equipment, helium said, aft the floodwaters near ample boulders scattered done the town.

Flooding is communal successful Afghanistan’s Nuristan state during monsoon play [File: AP Photo]

Afghanistan, similar neighbouring Pakistan and India, is highly susceptible to utmost upwind events, peculiarly flash floods pursuing seasonal rains.

This year’s monsoon play has sparked chaos crossed South Asia since June, with dense rains triggering floods and landslides successful state aft country.

Floods and landslides were reported on Monday to person killed astatine slightest 25 radical crossed bluish and northeastern India. Parun is located 465km (290 miles) from Jammu, wherever a flash flood caused extended damage.

In neighbouring Nepal, monsoon-related floods, landslides and lightning strikes person killed 27 people, near 1 missing and injured 69 others since mid-June, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.

The caput of Afghanistan’s biology extortion agency, Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, said this period that flooding successful the state had increased, informing that biology problems person “contributed to a humanitarian crisis”.