KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least 75 people have died and three others have been injured in drowning incidents across Afghanistan since the beginning of the current solar year, according to the Taliban-run National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The fatalities include 41 children, seven women and 27 men, NDMA spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Hamad said in a video message on Monday.
The figures cover the period from March 21 to June 5, 2026, and indicate that an average of nearly one person has died every day due to drowning-related incidents across the country.
Hamad said the incidents occurred in various provinces and urged citizens to follow safety guidelines when visiting rivers, dams, reservoirs and other bodies of water.
He called on the public to exercise caution during floods, storms and periods of rising water levels, particularly as temperatures increase and more people seek relief near waterways.
The latest figures come amid a series of drowning incidents reported during and after the Eid al-Adha holidays.
Just days earlier, three children drowned while swimming in the Kabul River in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. According to local Taliban authorities, the victims were two brothers and their cousin who had gone to the river with friends for recreation.
The children reportedly drowned near the Behsoud bridge in the city’s first district, and rescue teams were launched to recover their bodies. The incident underscored growing concerns over water safety as temperatures rise and more young people visit rivers and other water bodies during the summer months.
Local media and officials have reported multiple cases involving young people and teenagers who drowned while swimming in rivers and reservoirs in several provinces, including Nangarhar, Khost, Kapisa and Ghazni. In many cases, victims were reportedly unfamiliar with local water conditions or lacked swimming skills.
Children continue to account for the majority of drowning victims. According to the NDMA statistics, more than half of those who lost their lives during the reporting period were children, highlighting the risks faced by young people in areas where rivers, canals and reservoirs are easily accessible and often lack protective barriers or warning signs.
Drowning remains a recurring public safety challenge in Afghanistan, particularly during the warmer months when rising temperatures draw families and young people to rivers and reservoirs for recreation. Limited rescue services, inadequate swimming education and a lack of public awareness campaigns have been cited by officials and observers as factors contributing to the continued loss of life.
