The United Nations announced on Saturday that flash floods in northern Afghanistan had killed more than 200 people in a single region.
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration reported, “In Baghlan province, severe rains on Friday caused massive flooding that resulted in the deaths of over 200 people and the destruction or damage of thousands of dwellings”.
According to data from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, up to 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed in Baghlani Jadid district alone, and more than 100 people died.
Several districts in Afghanistan experienced flash flooding, with officials in northern Takhar province reporting 20 deaths on Saturday.
Officials said Friday’s rains also caused significant damage in northeastern Badakhshan province, central Ghor province, and western Herat.
The military ministry reported that emergency personnel had been rushed to the affected areas and were racing to rescue injured and stranded persons.
Afghanistan, which experienced a relatively dry winter, making it harder for the soil to absorb rainfall, is extremely vulnerable to climate change.
The country, wrecked by four decades of war, is one of the poorest in the world and, according to scientists, one of the least prepared to deal with the consequences of global warming.
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