KABUL, Afghanistan — At least four children were among the 29 people killed in recent floods triggered by heavy rainfall across Afghanistan, the aid organization Save the Children said on Thursday.
In its latest report, the organization noted that severe weather continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods in the country, which remains highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
According to the report, one child drowned in Kandahar Province, while three others died when the roof of their home collapsed. Several other children were injured, the group said, citing accounts from aid workers on the ground.
Flooding this week has caused significant damage to infrastructure in the southern and western provinces of Kandahar and Farah, washing away roads, destroying homes, and disrupting essential services relied upon by children and families. Parts of Kunar Province, in northeastern Afghanistan, were also affected.
In Kandahar alone, at least nine people were killed and six others injured over the past 48 hours, according to Save the Children. The floods partially or completely destroyed 33 homes, while a dam and a major road in Kandahar’s districts and provincial capital sustained severe damage.
Save the Children warned that rising global temperatures, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, are making rainfall more frequent and intense in many parts of the world, including Afghanistan.
“This week’s floods have displaced entire families and taken the lives of at least four children,” said Arshad Malik, the organization’s country director in Afghanistan. “Disasters like these are yet another sign of our rapidly changing climate, which families in Afghanistan are struggling to cope with. It is the most vulnerable—especially children—who bear the greatest burden of this crisis.”
Severe floods are a growing concern in Afghanistan, where years of conflict, deforestation, and inadequate infrastructure have increased vulnerability to natural disasters. Last year, flash floods in northern Afghanistan killed at least 200 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes.
