KABUL: At least 122 people were killed, 147 others wounded and several others went missing in torrential floods in Afghanistan’s 12 eastern provinces, the office of state minister for disaster management and humanitarian affairs said Thursday.
“The initial information indicated 122 people have been killed and 147 wounded in floods since Tuesday night in eastern Afghan region,” the ministry said in a statement.
The latest casualties took place in eastern Kapisa and neighboring Panjshir provinces Wednesday night when 10 people were killed in Kapisa and three died in Panjshir, according to local sources.
Some 85 people were killed and 110 others wounded during Tuesday night in the worst-hit Parwan province, where at least half of provincial capital Charikar city was affected by the floods.
“The rescue operation ended late Wednesday night in the central part of Parwan, and the rescue operation will be started by disaster officials, supported by the army Thursday morning as many victims still went missing,” Ahmad Tameem Azimi, a disaster management official, told local media.
The remaining casualties, including 24 killed and 37 wounded, took place in Kabul, Wardak, Nangarhar, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan, Laghman, and Khost provinces.
The disaster management officials and the Afghan army have been providing cooked and uncooked food and other relief items to the affected families since early Wednesday.
The deadly floods also destroyed 1,500 houses, 23 shops, and more than 1,100 hectares of agriculture land in the region while 600 farm animals had also lost during the floods, according to the ministry statistics.
The eastern Afghan provinces are not safe from the seasonal heavy rains, resulting in flash floods that damaged infrastructure and agricultural lands.
(With inputs from agencies)
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