15 dead as floods wreak havoc in Balkh

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): At least 15 people were killed and hundreds of homes and livestock swept away by flash floods in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, and three nearby districts, officials said on Wednesday.

Heavy rains that lashed the region for two consecutive days led to flooding in various parts of the provincial capital and adjacent areas, said the provincial council chief, Fazal Hadidi.

He put the death toll at 16, saying another six people were injured in Mazar-i-Sharif, Sholgar, Kushanda and Charkand districts.

Eight people died in Sholgar, five in Kushanda and one in Charkand. Another four went missing in Kushanda and two in Sholgar, the official added.

The council head claimed more than 1,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed by the floods that left stranded hundreds of families in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Several other homes in the city’s Dasht Shor, Camp Sakhi and Mazar Camp areas remained under threat of further flooding, he said.

A Dasht Shor resident and tribal elder Khudai Birdi told Pajhwok Afghan News a child had died due to the flooding in the area, where 50 homes were affected. He said security forces had launched efforts to rescue the marooned individuals.

Sholgar district chief, Maulvi land and swept away hundred of livestock.

A Sholgar resident Hikmatullah said the flood waters played havoc in the district bazaar and led to the closure of some schools.

ma/mud