In Afghanistan, storms and heavy rain that began about 12 days ago have triggered flooding, landslides and lightning strikes across much of the country, leaving authorities reporting a rising toll of deaths and injuries. The Disaster Management Authority said Monday that the latest count reached at least 110 people dead and 160 injured, alongside seven people reported missing.
The authority said that over the past 24 hours alone, 11 people died and six others were injured. It also reported the seven missing after separate incidents that authorities believed involved people being carried away by floodwater.
Beyond casualties, the Disaster Management Authority reported extensive damage to housing and infrastructure. It said 958 homes were completely destroyed and 4,155 suffered partial damage during the 12-day period, calling the figures preliminary. It added that the storms and related impacts damaged more than 325 kilometers (200 miles) of roads, as well as businesses, agricultural land, irrigation canals and fresh-water wells, affecting 6,122 families.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it used a helicopter to airlift two people to safety after they became stranded by floodwater in Herat, the country’s western province. The report did not specify when the stranded incident occurred.
Authorities issued weather warnings for Tuesday for nearly the entire country, urging people to stay away from rivers and areas prone to flooding, as more heavy rain was forecast. Officials described the current danger as part of a seasonal pattern in which heavy snowfall and rainfall can trigger flash floods that can kill scores—or even hundreds—at a time.
The report said the weather system has affected most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. It also noted that earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country, underscoring how quickly conditions can deteriorate.
Two major highways have been closed for days because of landslides and flooding, forcing travelers to use long, circuitous routes. The Kabul-to-Jalalabad highway has been shut since last Thursday, while the road from Jalalabad, the main city in eastern Afghanistan, heading northeast to Kunar and Nuristan provinces has been closed since Sunday due to falling rocks.