Afghanistan has experienced an end to its long dry spell, with heavy rainfall and snowfall causing widespread flooding in several areas. Unfortunately, the severe weather has led to at least 17 deaths and 11 injuries, according to local authorities.
Mohammad Yusuf Saeedi, spokesperson for the Herat provincial governor, confirmed that five members of the same family, including two children, were killed when a roof collapsed in the Kabakan district of Herat province on Thursday.
Mohammad Yusuf Hamad, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), reported that most of the casualties occurred in flood-affected areas starting from Monday. The severe weather has also disrupted daily life in the central, northern, southern, and western regions of the country.
Hamad added that the floods have caused significant damage to infrastructure, killed livestock, and affected 1,800 families. The situation has worsened the already vulnerable conditions for urban and rural communities across Afghanistan.
In a video clip shared on social media platform X, a truck was seen overturned on the Herat-Kandahar highway near Dasht-i-Bakwa due to sudden flooding. Another video showed passengers frantically trying to escape from a bus that had overturned in the strong currents of the floodwaters.
The Afghan government has pledged to assist those affected, but the extent of the devastation remains unclear as emergency response teams continue to assess the damage.