Flash floods kill 21 members of two families in Afghanistan

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Flash floods left at least 21 people dead and four injured in Afghanistan’s western Farah province on Tuesday, the interior ministry said.

The dead, who were swept away into a ravine, included several children, ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qaniee was quoted as saying by Reuters.

They all belonged to two families who had set out for a picnic at Kojar village in the Pushtkoh district, only to be caught in a sudden downpour and hailstorm while climbing a mountain.

It was unclear if the bodies had been retrieved yet.

Farah is known for its arid and rugged landscape. The region struggles with limited infrastructure and accessibility which often hinders emergency response efforts, particularly during natural disasters like flash floods.

Flash floods are a recurring disaster in Afghanistan. In 2024, the country faced a series of catastrophic floods that caused widespread destruction, claiming hundreds of lives and devastating communities across multiple provinces.

One of the worst disasters occurred in May, when powerful flash floods swept through the province of Baghlan, killing at least 315 people and leaving hundreds injured or missing. The floods also destroyed more than 2,000 homes, leaving dozens of families displaced and many unaccounted for.

By July 2024, the United Nations reported that casualties from floods across the country had climbed by 58 and that there were 380 injured people. The floods had either damaged or completely destroyed 573 houses.

Assessments revealed that at least 734 families were in urgent need of humanitarian aid.