KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, now under Taliban control, has reported that 28 people were killed and 10 others injured in natural disasters across the country over the past 48 hours, including flash floods, storms, lightning strikes, and landslides.
In a video statement released on Saturday, May 23, the authority’s spokesperson, Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, said the casualties were recorded in Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Khost, Paktia, Maidan Wardak, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Herat, Badghis, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Laghman, and Kunar provinces.
He said the disasters also completely destroyed 176 homes and partially damaged another 534.
Hamad added that 28 livestock were killed, while hundreds of acres of farmland, roads, and orchards were damaged.
Since the start of the current solar year, many parts of Afghanistan have been hit by heavy rainfall, destructive floods, storms, landslides, and lightning strikes.
On April 22, the Taliban’s disaster management authority said the total number of people killed by natural disasters this year had reached 214, with another 300 injured.
The heavy rainfall follows several consecutive years of drought, raising hopes for relief from severe water shortages. However, it has also caused widespread destruction and significant loss of life.
Earlier, the Taliban had put the death toll at 190 with about 250 injured. The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 people have been affected nationwide, with many communities still cut off due to damaged infrastructure.
Humanitarian agencies warn that continued displacement, combined with the destruction of homes and farmland, is likely to keep emergency needs high in the coming weeks, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas where access remains limited.
Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including seasonal flooding, drought and earthquakes, due to fragile infrastructure, environmental degradation and limited disaster response capacity.
The country is also facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. According to UN estimates, nearly 22 million people require assistance, while more than 17 million face acute food insecurity, with women and children among the most affected groups.
