KABUL — Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by fierce storms across Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the last 10 days, the country’s Disaster Management Authority said Saturday.
More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and other areas prone to flooding.
So far this year, dozens of people have died due to extreme weather in Afghanistan, an impoverished country that is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.
The recent toll includes 26 people killed over the last 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793 homes have been destroyed and 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed more than 200 miles of roads, it said.
Businesses, agricultural land, water wells and irrigation canals have also been damaged, with more than 5,800 families affected, the authority said.
Several highways connecting the capital to the provinces have been damaged by floods and landslides, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach Kabul, Public Works Ministry spokesman Ashraf Haqshinas said Saturday.
They include the Kabul-to-Jalalabad highway, which is the main route linking the capital to the eastern provinces and the Pakistani border. A landslide, rock slides and flooding shut the highway Thursday morning, and Haqshinas said crews were working to reopen it.
The Public Works Ministry warned travelers to be cautious when using roads in affected areas.
Flooding has also shut the Salang Pass, a high mountain pass in the Hindu Kush mountain range that connects Kabul to the country’s north, including the major cities of Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Snow and heavy rain in Afghanistan often trigger flash floods that kill scores or even hundreds of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.
Afghan writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Elena Becatoros contributed to this report.
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