Northern Afghanistan Hit by Deadly Flash Floods, Hundreds Dead or Missing

Upon receiving news of flash floods engulfing the outskirts of a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, shopkeeper Nazer Mohammad hurried back home. Upon arrival, he discovered that everything, including his family of five, had been swept away by the floods.

“Everything happened just all of a sudden. I came home, but there was no home there, instead, I saw all the neighbourhood covered by mud and water,” said Mohammad. He recounted burying his wife and two sons, aged 15 and 8, but continues to search for his two daughters, aged approximately 6 and 11.

The UN food agency approximated that Afghanistan’s recent heavy seasonal rains have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 individuals and the destruction of over 1,000 homes, with the majority of casualties occurring in the northern province of Baghlan, which endured the worst of the downpours on Friday.

Mohammad disclosed on Sunday that he discovered the bodies of his wife and two sons late Friday evening on the outskirts of Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province.

“I hope someone has found my daughters alive,” he said, holding back tears. “Just in the blink of an eye, I lost everything: family, home, belongings, now nothing is left to me.”

Save the Children, an aid organization, reported that approximately 600,000 individuals, with half of them being children, reside in the five districts in Baghlan severely affected by the floods. The organization mentioned dispatching a “clinic on wheels” equipped with mobile health and child protection teams to provide assistance to children and their families.

“Lives and livelihoods have been washed away,” said Arshad Malik, country director for Save the Children. “The flash floods tore through villages, sweeping away homes and killing livestock. Children have lost everything. Families who are still reeling from the economic impacts of three years of drought urgently need assistance.”

He emphasized that Afghanistan, being one of the countries least equipped to handle climate change patterns like the intensified seasonal rains, requires assistance from the international community.

In April alone, heavy rains and flash floods claimed the lives of at least 70 individuals in the country. Additionally, around 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were destroyed as a result of the calamity.