At least 28 people have been killed and 10 injured in natural disasters across Afghanistan over the past 48 hours, according to Taliban, as severe weather continues to batter several provinces.
Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, spokesman for the Taliban’s National Disaster Management Authority, said emergency response efforts were underway and that assistance was being delivered to affected families.
The latest fatalities come after the agency reported on Friday that heavy rains, flooding and storms had killed at least six people and injured 11 others in Herat, Kandahar, Ghor and Takhar Provinces.
Afghanistan has experienced days of intense rainfall, flash flooding and severe storms that have damaged homes, farmland and infrastructure while disrupting transportation. In recent days, flooding forced the temporary closure of the Salang Pass, one of the country’s most important transport routes, as well as sections of the Takhar-Badakhshan highway.
In Baghlan province, flash floods killed at least 11 people this week and damaged or destroyed more than 200 homes.
The World Health Organization’s Afghanistan office said women and children are disproportionately affected by natural disasters, particularly floods. The agency noted that mortality rates among women are often higher than among men during such emergencies and that pregnant and breastfeeding women face heightened health risks during and after flooding.
According to the organization, women and children account for between 70 and 80 percent of people in need of emergency assistance and roughly 75 percent of those displaced by disasters.
Taliban disaster management authorities say that since March 26, at least 280 people have been killed and 355 injured in weather-related disasters across Afghanistan.
The agency also reported widespread destruction of homes, agricultural land and orchards, leaving thousands of families in need of assistance.
Many flood victims say they have lost their homes, livestock and livelihoods and are calling for urgent humanitarian aid.
Afghanistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has faced increasingly frequent floods, droughts and extreme weather events in recent years. Humanitarian organizations have warned that decades of conflict, environmental degradation and weak infrastructure have left communities particularly exposed to natural disasters.
