At least 35 individuals lost their lives and 230 were injured on Monday due to heavy rainfall in eastern Afghanistan, according to a local official.
"On Monday evening, thunderstorm-induced rain claimed the lives of 35 people and injured 230 others in Jalalabad and several districts of Nangarhar province," stated Quraishi Badloon, the head of the department of information and culture. Badloon explained that the fatalities and injuries were a result of severe storms and rain that caused trees, walls, and roofs to collapse.
"There is a possibility that the number of casualties could increase," he warned, noting that both the injured and the bodies of the victims were transported to Nangarhar regional hospital and Fatima-tul-Zahra Hospital. Images released by Badloon's department depicted medical staff in white and blue uniforms attending to the wounded.
"We express our condolences to the families of the victims," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government. "The relevant institutions of the Islamic Emirate have been instructed to reach the affected areas promptly," Mujahid posted on X, assuring that they would provide shelter, food, and medical supplies to the displaced families.
This disaster follows flash floods in May that killed hundreds in Afghanistan and inundated agricultural lands, where 80 percent of the population relies on farming for survival. This year, Afghanistan experienced an unusually wet spring after a particularly dry winter.
