4 missing, 7 injured as floods wreak havoc in Helmand

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Four people were swept away and seven of a family were injured in a roof collapse incident as flash floods played havoc in southern Helmand province, officials said on Tuesday.

The roof collapse incident took place in Garamsir district, provincial information and culture director Hafiz Rasheed told Pajhwok Afghan News. The injured included a man, a woman and five children.

He said a number of people who had been marooned in Greshk, Nad Ali and Marja districts were rescued last night.

Hafiz Rasheed did not reveal the exact financial losses the floods inflicted on people, but said teams of the natural disaster management authority and the municipality had reached flood-hit areas to assess the damage.

Floods emerged in Washir, Marja, Nad Ali, Nehr Seraj and Kajaki districts after two days of heavy raining local residents said. They said four people were missing in the floods that blocked roads in these districts.

Abdul Sattar, a resident of Spin Jumat area of Nad Ali district, said all roads were closed after heavy rainfall last night and yesterday, trapping a number of people. He asked security forces to send rescue teams to the submerged areas.

A resident of Washir district, Nimatullah, said four people were drowned in floodwaters and were missing after last night flooding.

He said the floodwater swept away thousands of solar panels and caused damages to many homes.

Similarly, a resident of Marja district, Abdul Ghafar, also said heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding had blocked all roads in the district, creating problems for local residents.

He said the government should send rescue teams to the flood-hit areas to move marooned people to safety.

In northern provinces of the country, heavy snowfall has clogged roads and a number of people died due to snow avalanches.

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