KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that at least 26 people have been killed and 24 others injured following devastating floods that struck eastern Afghanistan on Monday.
In a report released on Wednesday, OCHA said that floods affected the provinces of Nuristan, Nangarhar, and Baghlan, causing casualties and significant property damage.
According to OCHA, flooding in Parun, the capital of Nuristan province, killed 23 people and injured 15 others, while several people remain missing and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The report said that the Torkham border crossing in Nangarhar province was also affected by flooding, where three Afghan migrants returning from Pakistan were killed and nine others were injured.
OCHA added that flooding also occurred in Alingar district of Laghman province, damaging agricultural lands and irrigation systems, although no deaths have been reported from the area so far.
The UN humanitarian agency said the largest scale of material damage was recorded in Parun, Nuristan’s provincial capital. The destruction of a water supply network has left around 1,000 families without access to safe drinking water.
Preliminary assessments indicate that at least 22 houses were completely destroyed and 45 others were partially damaged. Five markets and around 70 shops were also affected. In addition, four bridges, six road sections, 400 meters of protective walls, and 450 meters of irrigation canals were damaged, along with nearly 50 acres of agricultural land.
OCHA reported that 25 vehicles, two carpentry workshops and saw machines, a mosque, and a private clinic were also damaged or destroyed in Parun.
Meanwhile, Taliban authorities have reported a higher death toll in Parun, saying that 23 people were killed, 80 others injured, and around 100 people remain missing following the floods.
OCHA said affected communities urgently need emergency shelter, food assistance, healthcare services, medical supplies, non-food items, and psychological and social support.
Heavy and persistent rainfall on 20 July caused flash floods across several parts of eastern Afghanistan. The severity of the damage differed from one area to another, with Parun City in Nuristan experiencing major loss of life and widespread destruction, while Alingar district suffered damage to agricultural livelihoods and irrigation systems.
The renewed disaster comes amid an unusually severe year of extreme weather in Afghanistan, marked by repeated heavy rainfall, flash floods, seasonal storms, and climate-related shocks linked to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.
Earlier assessments by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had already highlighted the scale of the crisis. According to an update published two months ago, heavy rainfall and flash floods between mid-March and late April affected more than 73,000 people across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, leaving around 57,000 in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
More than 10,000 families across Afghanistan have been affected by flooding since the beginning of 2026.
Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, particularly floods, droughts, and earthquakes, due to climate change, weak infrastructure, and limited disaster response capacity. In recent years, repeated flooding has caused hundreds of deaths and displaced thousands of families across the country, adding further pressure to Afghanistan’s already severe humanitarian crisis.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that communities in remote and mountainous areas remain especially at risk because of difficult access, damaged roads, and limited emergency services.
