(Reuters) — At least 58 people have been killed and many more are missing in flash floods that hit parts of northern Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai’s office said on Saturday (June 7).
The floods were caused by heavy rain that fell overnight in the Gozargah-e Noor district of the northern Baghlan province.
Residents of the flooded area said many people have lost their homes.
“Some 500 houses were destroyed in these floods and nearly 60 people have been killed also hundreds more were wounded,” said Imam Nazar.
“We urge the government to provide first aid for those who have lost their homes in floods so they can survive,” added another local resident Ayub Rahman.
Ahmad Nasir Kohzad, head of disaster response for Baghlan, said more than 800 families had been affected and that dead bodies could be seen by the river.
President Karzai has ordered urgent assistance to flood-affected families in the province, his office said in a statement.
Afghanistan has a largely arid climate but summer can bring heavy rains.
More than 100 people were killed in April in flooding in north and west Afghanistan.