Survivors Hunt For The Missing Days After Afghanistan Floods
Umer Jamshaid Published May 13, 2024 | 03:10 PM
Fulool, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th May, 2024) Survivors of flash floods in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province were still searching for the missing on Monday, days after torrents of water ripped through villages, killing hundreds.
Heavy rains sparked flash flooding in multiple Afghan provinces on Friday, killing more than 300 people in Baghlan alone, UN agencies and Taliban officials said.
Rescue workers and aid have been struggling to reach some of the worst affected areas with the World Health Organization echoing Taliban government and nonprofit warnings that the death toll could rise significantly.
Samiullah Omari had found the bodies of seven of his relatives, but his uncle and uncle's grandson were still missing.
"We have been searching but we haven't found them," the 24-year-old day labourer told AFP in his village of Fulool.
For kilometres around, mud covers everything, debris and limbs of livestock jutting out from the thick brown sludge where homes once stood.
Neither Omari nor his 70-year-old father have ever seen "such havoc-wreaking floods", he said.
The WHO has already warned of rising cases of water-borne diseases in flood-affected regions.
In a country with a health system already on its knees, some health facilities were rendered non-operational by the flooding, which damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and swamped agricultural land.
"The full extent of the damage is not yet known, and the country lacks the necessary resources to manage a disaster of this magnitude," it said in a situation report Sunday.
Omari and some 70 other villagers took refuge in a house on higher ground.
"God protected us along with 60-70 people and we survived it," he said, but his house and all his belongings were washed away.
All that was left were the clothes on his back.
Scant aid had arrived with Taliban government agencies and a few humanitarians, who braved washed-out roads for hours to reach the isolated village with food and water.
Tents had been set up near the village to provide health aid, as government officials surveyed the damage.
"We hope shelter will be provided for us," Omari said, adding that women and children had been "scattered" to other areas to stay with relatives.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
North Korea's military satellite launch fails as rocket explodes mid-flight
Increase in FED rate on cigarettes advised for health, revenue collection
Hardik Pandya's wife Natasha responds to divorce rumors
Secretary Information Pakistan Muslim League Quied-e-Azam Khawaja Rameez Hasan c ..
Federal, KP govts agree to jointly work to overcome power losses
Govt announces public holiday for Youm-e-Takbeer on May 28
PCB Women's University Cricket Tournament 2024 to kick off tomorrow
The Game-Changer: 5 compelling reasons to embrace gaming phones
PMD forecasts thunderstorm, rain amid scorching heatwave
Security forces kill 23 terrorists in KPK
Babar Azam overtakes Rohit Sharma in T20I runs
Seven desks established under SIFC to attract foreign
More Stories From World
-
N Korea says spy satellite launch ends in failure
54 minutes ago -
North Korea's military satellite launch fails as rocket explodes mid-flight
2 hours ago -
France's historic D-Day beaches threatened by rising sea levels
3 hours ago -
Gunmen kidnap around 150 people in central Nigeria: officials
3 hours ago -
Papua New Guinea says more than 2,000 people buried in landslide
4 hours ago -
Sports Boulevard doubles value of private Real Estate investment fund for the Arts District to SAR2 ..
4 hours ago
-
GAC takes part in ICN Conference
4 hours ago -
Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Irish counterpart
4 hours ago -
Saudi Railways full steam ahead: Ridership up 28% in Q1 2024
4 hours ago -
KSrelief sends two relief ships for people in need in Palestine and Sudan
4 hours ago -
South Africa's early voters launch historic election week
5 hours ago -
Spain pledges 1 bln in military aid to Kyiv as Zelensky visits
5 hours ago