Afghanistan Floods: Hundreds Dead, Rescue Efforts Underway
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Taliban interior ministry, the official death toll from the devastating floods in northern Afghanistan has risen to 153 across three provinces, as reported by Reuters.
However, the World Food Programme (WFP) disputes this figure, claiming that the actual death toll is more than double that reported by the Taliban, as reported by Reuters.
The WFP, which operates throughout Afghanistan, announced on Friday that the floods had claimed the lives of over 300 people. The organisation did not provide a source to substantiate this claim.
When questioned about the WFP's figures, a ministry spokesperson confirmed that the official death toll remained at 153. However, authorities acknowledged that the number of fatalities could rise.
The heavy rains that began on Friday caused flooding in the northern provinces of Baghlan, Takhar, and Badakhshan, injuring at least 138 people, according to Abdul Mateen Qaniee, a spokesperson for the ministry.
In the village of Karkar, located in Baghlan province, residents held funerals for those who perished in the floods.
"We lost five members of our family in this catastrophic flash flood - two sons, two daughters, and their mother," said Gulbudeen.
"We were on the opposite side of the floodwaters, powerless to help them. Ultimately, the flood claimed the lives of our loved ones."
The Taliban dispatched helicopters overnight in an attempt to assist civilians after receiving reports that over 100 people were stranded. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that many people were left homeless, and transportation, water, and sanitation systems had been "severely disrupted."
"The impact has been devastating, resulting in fatalities, injuries, and a significant number of people still missing," the WHO's Afghanistan office stated in a late Friday statement.
The statement added that four health centres had been damaged and one destroyed by the floods. The WHO further stated that it had deployed medical teams to deliver medical care in the flood-stricken areas.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
