At Least 20 Killed, 80 Injured in Severe Flooding in Afghanistan’s Nuristan

At least 20 people were killed and more than 80 injured in flooding in Parun, capital of Afghanistan’s northeastern Nuristan province, reports said on Monday. At least 20 people have been killed, about 80 injured and more than 100 remain missing after severe flooding struck Parun, the capital of Afghanistan’s northeastern Nuristan province, and surrounding areas, Taliban authorities said on Monday. The Taliban-run National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that heavy floods had affected Parun and several other parts of the mountainous province, causing significant casualties and widespread damage. Hafiz Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, the authority’s head of information and publications and spokesperson, said specialized teams had been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the situation, search for missing people and determine the extent of the damage. The floods destroyed or damaged residential homes, agricultural land and shops belonging to local residents, leaving significant financial losses in addition to the reported loss of life, according to the disaster management authority. Hamad said the casualty figures could change as search and rescue operations continue and teams reach areas that may have been cut off by floodwaters and debris. More than 100 people were reported missing, raising concerns that the death toll could increase as rescue teams continue searching for survivors and those who may have been swept away by the floods. The reported casualty figures and the scale of the destruction could not be independently verified. The flooding followed heavy rainfall in parts of Nuristan, where mountainous terrain and limited road access can make emergency response and rescue operations particularly difficult. The disaster comes as Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, including flash floods, landslides and droughts. Years of conflict, poverty, weak infrastructure and limited emergency response capacity have increased the vulnerability of communities, particularly in remote and mountainous areas. Seasonal floods have repeatedly caused deaths and extensive damage across Afghanistan in recent years, destroying homes, farmland and infrastructure and forcing thousands of people from their communities. The latest flooding is also expected to place additional pressure on local authorities and humanitarian organizations responding to affected families, particularly those who have lost homes, farmland or sources of income. The post At Least 20 Killed, 80 Injured in Severe Flooding in Afghanistan’s Nuristan appeared first on Khaama Press.