KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A young man and a 13-year-old boy have drowned in separate incidents while swimming in the northern province of Balkh and southeastern Khost province, according to local sources.
Sources in Balkh told KabulNow that a young man identified as Hijran, a resident of the Hairatan Commercial Township, drowned on Friday while swimming near the border bridge between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
In Khost, sources said a student drowned while swimming in a water reservoir in Sabari Yaqubi district. The boy was identified as Khalid and was 13 years old.
Drowning incidents are frequently reported in Afghanistan during the warmer months, particularly among children and young people who swim in rivers, reservoirs, canals and other bodies of water without adequate safety measures or supervision.
The World Health Organization says drowning is largely preventable and disproportionately affects children and young people. It estimates that more than 300,000 people die from drowning globally each year, with more than 90 percent of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO identifies lack of swimming and water-safety skills, inadequate supervision and limited rescue capacity among key risk factors.
WHO’s latest drowning-prevention guidance recommends teaching basic swimming and water-safety skills, strengthening rescue and resuscitation capacity, improving safety around bodies of water and ensuring greater supervision of children. The organization has also called for governments and communities to develop coordinated measures to reduce preventable drowning deaths.
The latest drowning comes amid a broader pattern of water-related fatalities across Afghanistan. According to the Taliban-run National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 75 people died and three others were injured in drowning incidents between March 21 and June 5, 2026. The fatalities included 41 children, seven women, and 27 men, indicating that, on average, nearly one person lost their life to drowning every day during the reporting period.
The recurring incidents have drawn attention to the lack of water safety measures across the country. Carelessness, combined with the absence of essential rescue equipment and emergency response facilities near rivers, reservoirs, and other recreational water sites, is considered among the main factors contributing to these fatalities.
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.
