At least 35 people lost their lives and 230 others were injured in eastern Afghanistan on Monday following heavy rainfall, according to local officials.
Quraishi Badloon, head of the department of information and culture, reported to AFP that the casualties occurred in Jalalabad and several districts of Nangarhar province due to thunderstorms.
The fatalities resulted from collapsed trees, walls, and roofs caused by the intense storms. Badloon expressed concern that the death toll might increase. The injured and deceased were transported to Nangarhar regional hospital and Fatima-tul-Zahra hospital.
Images released by Badloon’s department showed medical personnel in white and blue uniforms providing treatment to the wounded.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban government, extended condolences to the victims’ families. He stated that the Islamic Emirate’s relevant institutions have been instructed to swiftly assist the affected areas, offering shelter, food, and medical aid to displaced families.
This tragedy follows devastating flash floods in May, which claimed hundreds of lives and submerged agricultural lands in Afghanistan, where agriculture sustains 80 percent of the population. As one of the world’s poorest nations, Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This year, the country experienced an exceptionally wet spring following an extremely dry winter.
