Rain, floods and storms in three provinces; “Dozens dead, injured, many missing”

Local Taliban officials in Nangarhar confirmed that as of yesterday evening, 35 bodies had been taken to hospitals in Jalalabad city and several districts of the province.

The Nangarhar provincial press office said that at around 4 p.m. on Monday, heavy storms accompanied by hail and rain hit most parts of the province.

The statement added that as of Monday evening, 35 bodies of the deceased had been shifted to the Nangarhar Regional Hospital and Bibi Fatima Zahra Hospital in the province.

According to officials, 230 injured people have been shifted to these hospitals.

The toll is expected to rise as rains have caused flooding in large parts of Nangarhar province.

Videos of the storm and hail were posted on social networks.

The collapse of the roof of the house caused a large number of injuries, and the condition of some of them is still unknown.

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar state news agency released a video showing 11 members of a family in a village on the Soluk River in Nangarhar province buried under rubble.

“This is the Mastikhel Sarkhroud area. There are about 11 people in the family. So far, we have no news of the martyrs because they are trapped under the rubble.”

Taliban officials said they had used all facilities to assist the wounded and rescue people.

Sediqullah Qureshi, the Taliban intelligence chief in Nangarhar province, said:

“In Jalalabad city, the center of Nangarhar province and some areas, some compatriots suffered property and life losses due to heavy rains and strong winds.

“Survey teams have been dispatched to all districts to ascertain the entitlements of the affected families and provide them with assistance.”

Hundreds of acres of farmland and gardens were destroyed by hail and flooding, according to officials.

Rainfall and flooding in Panjshir and Kunar

Besides Nangarhar province, floods also occurred in Kunar and Panjshir provinces on Monday, causing casualties and property losses.

According to preliminary statistics, five people died in Karnal. In Panjshir, several bridges and culverts, farmlands and canals were destroyed. The road from Panjshir to Kabul was also blocked yesterday due to floods.

Over the past two months, several Afghan provinces, including Baghlan, have suffered unprecedented floods, killing hundreds of people and destroying thousands of hectares of farmland.

The United Nations says recent floods have hit vulnerable groups in Afghanistan who are suffering from poverty and hunger and more funds are needed to help them.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said Afghanistan has become the world’s sixth most vulnerable country due to climate change and needs $617 million to help flood victims by the end of the year.