Afghanistan floods kill dozens, with many still missing

Flash flooding in Afghanistan’s Parwan province has killed at least 86 people and injured at least 106, according to Rahmatullah Haidari, deputy spokesman for the governor of the province.

Officials in in the disaster management ministry said that torrential rain earlier this week triggered flash flooding in the country’s Parwan province — which borders Kabul — Reuters news agency reported.

Dozens of houses and vehicles have been destroyed and the number of casualties could be much higher, Parwan provincial spokeswoman Waheeda Shakar said Wednesday.

Police and rescue teams have arrived in the area and are helping residents, she said.

Officials said more than 1,500 houses north of the capital Kabul had been destroyed, while many people remain missing.

A ministry of disaster management spokesman said floods had also affected eight of the country’s northern provinces. The spokesman said climate change was worsening the flooding hitting the country.

For centuries, agriculture in South Asia has depended on the annual monsoon, which stretches from about June until September. But intense rains and floods in the region — including in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan — also cause devastation and billions of dollars in damage every year.