At least 20 people have been killed, 80 injured, and more than 100 remain missing after flash floods struck Parun, the capital of Nuristan province, the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Authority said.
The agency's spokesperson, Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, said the
casualty figures are preliminary and that search and rescue operations are
still underway.
According to Hamad, the floods also caused extensive damage
to government buildings, residential homes, and agricultural land in the
provincial capital.
Afghanistan has experienced an increase in natural
disasters, particularly flash floods, in recent years due to the impacts of
climate change. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have
repeatedly warned that the country's mountainous provinces are highly
vulnerable to heavy rainfall and flooding.
According to those organizations, limited emergency response
capacity and weak infrastructure continue to increase the human and economic
toll of natural disasters across Afghanistan.
