KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A woman and her four children were killed when the roof of their mud house collapsed in Obe district of western Herat province, local sources said, highlighting the dangers of unsafe housing in rural Afghanistan during harsh winter conditions.
According to the sources, the incident occurred on Tuesday night after heavy rainfall weakened the structure of the home in the village of Kabgan. The victims included a woman, two boys, and two girls aged between three and 14 years. Only the man of the family survived, local sources said.
The sources added that the woman worked as a midwife at the Obe Health Center, while her husband was also employed there. The couple were originally from Pashtun Zarghun district but had been living in Obe due to their duties.
Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident.
This tragedy follows a similar incident in southern Kandahar province a week ago, where a woman and two children were killed when their house roof gave way during heavy rains.
Afghanistan has experienced heavy rainfall and snowfall over the past week, affecting multiple provinces. In many areas, homes are constructed without proper safety standards, leaving residents exposed to extreme weather conditions such as rain, snow, and flash floods.
Similar incidents are frequent in the country, with weather-related accidents claiming dozens of lives each year, particularly among children and women living in remote villages.
