At least 20 people were killed and over 100 are missing as flash floods wreaked havoc in Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday. The floods struck the eastern province of Nuristan, said Yousaf Hammad, spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, adding that a search and rescue operation was underway to locate the missing.
Flash floods in Afghanistan: Check advisory
“We urge all citizens to stay away from flood-prone areas and zones at risk,” he said. “Unfortunately, severe floods today in Parun city and several other areas of Nuristan province have caused heavy loss of life and property among our fellow citizens,” Hammad said, adding that the floods had caused extensive damage to people’s homes, agricultural land and public facilities.
What causes severe flood in the region?
Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that trigger flash floods, often killing dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods. Earlier this year, at least 110 people were killed by widespread flooding and landslides in several parts of the country.
Decades of conflict, along with poor infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and the intensifying effects of climate change, have amplified the impact of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are built of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges or heavy snowfall.
“We were saddened to learn that floods caused loss of life and property damage in Nuristan province this afternoon,” said government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “We pray for those who lost their lives in this incident and for a speedy recovery for the injured.”
Heavy rains predicted for 10 of country’s 34 provinces
More extreme weather was forecast, with heavy rain, thunderstorms, strong winds accompanied by dust and sand, and flash floods predicted for 10 of the country’s 34 provinces, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation’s meteorology department said. The ministry warned residents to avoid riverbanks and other areas at risk of flooding.
Tropical storm Bertha could bring heavy rain to US coastal areas
In another development, a tropical storm Bertha formed on Monday evening in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle and could bring heavy rain and storm surge flooding to US coastal areas, forecasters said. The center of Bertha was located about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida. Maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph (65 kph), according to an evening advisory from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
The slow-moving storm has been drifting erratically but is expected to stay near or along the northern Gulf Coast early this week, bringing heavy rainfall to areas of northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as it pushes westward toward Texas. Forecasters said some additional strengthening is expected in the coming hours.
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur last month brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern United States. A tropical depression continued to drift erratically Monday ever closer to the US. Gulf Coast on a forecast track that could bring storm surge, heavy rains and potentially damaging winds to several states during the week.
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