Deadly flash floods hit Afghanistan's Nuristan province

At least 20 people have been killed after monsoon-driven flash floods struck Afghanistan's eastern Nuristan province, with more than 80 injured and around 100 people still missing, according to disaster officials and the governor's office. The floods hit on Monday, destroying houses and shops in the provincial capital Parun, as reported by Al Jazeera.

A separate report from Dawn put the death toll at 23, citing the national disaster agency and the provincial governor's office. The discrepancy reflects the rapidly evolving situation as rescue teams work to reach affected areas.

Rescue workers are struggling to reach residents trapped under mud and boulders, with teams using wooden poles and bare hands to search for the missing, as witnessed by an AFP journalist in Parun. The town's mayor and several regional employees are among the missing, the governor's office said.

The Taliban-run government's National Disaster Management Authority said most of the damage was reported from Parun, and that at least 80 people were injured. The authority also said rescuers feared "severe financial and human losses," according to Jerusalem Post.

Rescue efforts and local accounts

Afghanistan's defence ministry has deployed military to support the relief effort, as reported by Dawn. The United Nations is assessing the disaster, according to the same report.

Taliban officials said they had launched a search and rescue operation in the remote province on the Afghan-Pakistani border, as reported by Jerusalem Post. Officials from the provincial disaster management department are also involved in search-and-rescue operations, including efforts to recover bodies and locate the missing, Al Jazeera reported.

Witnesses described the scene as devastating. A 34-year-old pharmacist, Farid Gul Zaheer, told AFP he had "never witnessed such a dangerous flood," saying, "It felt like there was an earthquake, and I heard children and people screaming." Zakirullah Zaki, manager of the Spogmai Hotel, said it felt like "an act of God struck us," adding that "the rest of the hotels, markets, and shops were completely destroyed."

Ashiqullah Safi, head of local NGO Shpoul, told AFP that the flood had "completely destroyed the municipality." Hotels and dozens of shops were reportedly destroyed, with large boulders scattered through the town.

Juma Khan Nayel, communications chief for the Afghan Red Crescent Society, described a "devastating situation" with water rising to unprecedented levels. The society has deployed dozens of volunteers who are working by hand, using shovels. "Right now, urgently, we are supplying some food, water and tents for those whose homes have been destroyed," he said.

Vulnerability and causes

Afghanistan is among the nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which has made some parts of the country more drought-prone and exposed others to more rainfall, as reported by Jerusalem Post and Deutsche Welle. Floods are common in Afghanistan's Nuristan province during monsoon season, Al Jazeera reported.

Deforestation in Nuristan and other provinces has further worsened flash floods in recent decades by slowing rainwater absorption into the soil, according to Jerusalem Post and Deutsche Welle.

Deutsche Welle also cited decades of conflict and the removal of foreign investment after the return of the Taliban in 2021 as having left prevention infrastructure in poor condition, where it exists at all. Deforestation, a struggling economy, and the effects of climate change have compounded these issues.

Taliban officials predicted more heavy rain, thunderstorms, and extreme winds in 10 of the country's 34 provinces in the coming days, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

The monsoon has wreaked havoc across South Asia in recent weeks, killing dozens of people in India and Nepal, Al Jazeera reported. Floods and landslides were reported on Monday to have killed at least 25 people across northern and northeastern India.