The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported that 51 children were among the 240 people who died in recent floods in northeastern Afghanistan.
UNICEF issued a report warning of an increasing death toll. “Most of the casualties were reported in Baghlan province, where heavy rains destroyed an estimated 3,000 houses, damaged farmland, washed away livestock, closed schools, and damaged health centers,” the statement said. It added that Takhar and Badakhshan provinces also experienced significant impacts, with initial reports of at least 300 houses damaged.
Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, stated that UNICEF and its partners “are making every effort to provide quick relief to the affected families and communities.”
The UN agency noted that it has dispatched 450 family kits, 500 hygiene kits, 476 blankets for adults and babies, and 100 clothing kits, which will complement support provided by other UN agencies and partners.
“A UNICEF-supported mobile health and nutrition team has also been dispatched, and UNICEF teams are on the ground helping to conduct additional assessments,” the report cited.
According to the UN’s findings, Afghanistan is among the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change and has been experiencing a rise in extreme weather conditions.
