The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 734 families affected by recent natural disasters in Afghanistan urgently need humanitarian aid.
According to an OCHA report, heavy windstorms, severe rainfall, and flash floods struck multiple districts in Badakhshan, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Nuristan provinces on July 15 and 16. Local Taliban officials reported a total of 40 fatalities and 251 injuries, with at least 45 deaths occurring in the Sorkh Road district of Nangarhar.
The natural disasters caused significant infrastructure damage in these provinces. “While assessments are ongoing, initial reports indicate that at least 734 families require urgent humanitarian assistance and that 573 houses have suffered damage or destruction,” OCHA stated.
The report also highlighted that the reception center at the Torkham border crossing, a main entry point for Afghan returnees, was heavily impacted by the storm and rain. “Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and 400 tents have been damaged or destroyed in the nearby Omari camp,” the U.N. agency noted.
In a particularly tragic incident, 10 family members gathered to celebrate the birth of a baby were killed by the floods and storms in the Sorkh Road district of Nangarhar.
