At least 49 people were killed and over 80 others were confirmed wounded as the result of flashflood which hit Charikar, capital city of the northern Parwan province, according to a local health official.
The casualty toll is expected to raise.
Talking to Kabul Now, Safiullah Warasta, head of Parwan public health department, said that the victims—the dead and wounded people—were taken to hospital.
According to Wahida Shahkar, spokesperson for Parwan governor, the flashflood started to hit the city around 02:00 AM this morning, August 26, after heavy rain falls. She added that the flood has ruined dozens of houses.
Preliminary records by the State Ministry for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs show that around 300 houses have been destroyed, detailing that the ministry has already deployed a team of first aids and rescue to the area for clearing the area to rescue those who have been stuck in flashflood.
As the ministry stated, there were heavy rain falls in Kapisa, Panjshir, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Nooristan, and Nangarhar provinces too. Public properties and farmlands have suffered huge financial losses in nine provinces, the ministry added.
The massive flooding and its subsequent destruction have drawn nationwide reactions across the country, with many sharing footages and photos of its aftermath on their social media platforms. The footages show residential houses, streets, vehicles, and shops are largely destroyed.
13 members of a single family have lost their lives to the flashflood of which the rescue team found just seven corpses out of the rubble, wrote Bilal Sarwary, an Afghan freelance journalist on twitter. “The flooding has turned a city which is a corridor to the north [of Afghanistan] for tourists into rubble,” he wrote of the scene, adding that 80 percent of Charikar city was destroyed.
Many leaders, including President Ghani and Chief of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, have also reacted to the flooding sharing condolences with the affected population of Parwan.
They further called on charity organizations, the people, and traders to provide assistance for Charikar residents.
President Ghani ordered the state ministry for disaster management to provide emergency aid for those harmed in the deadly flashflood.
Food, medicine and tents are in urgent need, with locals in Charikar calling on the government to provide them with medicine and tents.
