Fifty dead as heavy rain and flash flood strikes central Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: At least 50 individuals have lost their lives in the aftermath of a recent period of intense rainfall and subsequent flooding in central Afghanistan, according to an official statement released on Saturday.
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, who heads the information department for the central Ghor province, said that there was no available data regarding the number of people injured during the rain spell, which commenced on Friday and had also severed many crucial roads leading to the region.
Zaeem further disclosed that the province's capital, Feroz-Koh, had suffered extensive damage, with 2,000 houses completely destroyed, an additional 4,000 partially damaged, and over 2,000 shops submerged under water.
The previous week, flash floods triggered by heavy rains had wreaked havoc on villages in northern Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of 315 lives and leaving more than 1,600 people injured, as reported by authorities on Sunday.
Afghanistan is highly susceptible to natural disasters, and the United Nations considers it one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The nation has been grappling with a significant shortfall in aid since the Taliban assumed power following the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021.
The development aid that once formed the backbone of government finances was drastically reduced, exacerbating the shortfall in subsequent years as foreign governments face competing global crises and growing condemnation of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women.
(With inputs from agencies)