KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The death toll from weeks of heavy rainfall, flooding, and related disasters across Afghanistan has risen to 157, with 229 people injured and nine others still missing, the Taliban-run National Disaster Management Authority said on Thursday.
In a video statement, Mohammad Yousof Hamad, spokesperson for the authority, said at least nine people were killed in the past 24 hours due to the ongoing severe weather.
Hamad said the cumulative toll included deaths from floods, landslides, lightning strikes, and collapsing roofs weakened by rain and snow.
At least 8,526 residential houses have been completely or partially destroyed, while 372 kilometres of roads have been damaged. Thousands of acres of farmland and orchards, hundreds of irrigation canals, and extensive stretches of infrastructure have also been affected, impacting 7,504 families, according to the authority.
The disasters come after weeks of persistent rainfall across more than 20 provinces in eastern, western, northern, and central Afghanistan. Flash floods in many areas have swept through villages, destroying homes and blocking roads.
Earlier this week, Taliban authorities reported a death toll of 110 and 160 injuries from heavy rainfall and flooding.
Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including floods, droughts and earthquakes, due to its fragile infrastructure, environmental degradation, and limited disaster response capacity, particularly in remote and mountainous areas.
The latest wave of flooding and other weather-related disasters comes as Afghanistan grapples with one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million people need humanitarian aid, while over 17 million, mostly women and children, are grappling with acute food insecurity.
