31 killed, 74 injured, 41 missing in floods nationwide

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 31 people have been killed, 41 missing and another 74 wounded in rains-induced floods during the past four days across the country, Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) officials said on Monday.

Shafiullah Rahimi, ANDMA spokesman, told reporters in Kabul that since July 20 floods caused heavy financial and life and damaged public and private properties.

He said initial reports suggested 31 people had been killed, 74 wounded and 41 more were still missing while 604 houses were partially or completely destroyed.

Rahimi named areas where people suffered most casualties like Maidan Wardak province where floodwater roared through provincial capital Maidan Shahr, Jalrez, Chak, Syedabad, Nirkh and Jaghatu districts last night, causing financial and life losses.

In these districts, the floods killed 26 people, injured 44 others and dozens more remained missing and the death toll could possibly rise anytime.

Maidan Wardak Disaster Management Department head Maulvi Faizullah Jalali said the floods swept away a house in Takana area of Jalriz district where a wedding ceremony was taking place, killing a number of people.

Jalali added: “So far 22 martyrs have been exhumed from the rubble and dozens more are missing and efforts are underway to find them”.

During the past four days, floods killed 250 animals and destroyed crops on hundreds of acres of land.

He added 214 people lost their lives in the past four months to natural disasters in the country and 3,115 houses were partially or completely destroyed.

According to Jalali, during the period, 3,800 animals were killed and over 20,000 acres of cultivated land and orchards were damaged.

He added ANDMA with the help of international humanitarian organizations had distributed food, non-food and cash aid to nearly 90,000 disaster-affected families since the beginning of this year and the process was ongoing.

The Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains falls and floods in nine provinces of the country yesterday.

aw/ma