Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel
KABUL: The magnitude of the devastating floods in northern Parwan province has been terrifying as at least 100 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed as seasonal rains cause worst overflows.
105 others, including children and women received injuries in the floods that wreaked havoc the province, which is at least 70 miles away from Kabul, the capital city.
The number of casualties may rise as rescue team work to locate people buried under destroyed houses and slumped walls. Fatalities could be much higher as the deluge ravaged large parts of the Charikar city.
Torrential rains following flash floods occurred after midnight on Wednesday, when most of the people were asleep inside their houses that had left devastated damage, including swiping away houses, destroying roads and agriculture lands.
Eight other provinces—Kapisa, Panjshir, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan and Nangarhar were also suffered from flash floods. Two people have lost their lives and five others were wounded in Maidan Wardak floods, and two others died due to floods in Nangarhar province.
President Ashraf Ghani has been deeply saddened over casualties and financial losses in Charikar city. President Ghani ordered the State Ministry for Disaster Management (SMDM) and other related organs to immediately help the victims.
Former President Hamid Karzai expressed his deepest condolences with the victim families and wished quick recovery for those wounded in Parwan floods.
Mr. Karzai called on national traders and compatriots, who are in good financial conditions to help these people who suffered during the floods.
Parwan Public Health Director Safiullah Warasta said they have received 79 dead bodies. 105 others were wounded in the deluge.
Deputy Spokesman for Parwan Governor Office, Rahmatullah Haidari said that flash floods started at around 3:00am local time on Wednesday morning, inflicting heavy losses to the people and has destroyed or badly damaged 500 houses in the province.
The rescue team arrived in the province in the early morning and were still busy rescuing the trapped people and taking out the dead bodies. “Probably we will have more deaths as searching continues by the rescue team,” he said.
On the other hand State Ministry for Disaster Management (SMDM) in a statement said that 100 people have died and 100 others wounded due to flash flood in Parwan.
SMDM said that the survey of response to the disasters is going on in nine provinces simultaneously.
According to the ministry, based on initial reports of provincial disaster management authorities of Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Maisan Wardak, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan and Nangarhar provinces, due to rainfall and flash floods between 4-5 of Sunbula Afghan solar month, (late hours of Tuesday and early hours of Wednesday) hundred of houses, roads, 100 acres of land and some shops were destroyed/damaged due to floods in these provinces.
The process of transferring food and non-food aids has started to help the victims.
Based on instruction of SMDM leadership, the process of transferring food items for 5,000 families, non-food aids for 400 families and 15 million Afs for the victims of recent floods in Charikar, has begun.
I lost my mother in the floods, Samiullah, a resident of district 4th of Charikar city, told Afghanistan Times. His house was also destroyed in the floods. “It was around 03:00 on Wednesday morning, when the shocking floods cropped up.
While describing the situation horrendously, he said that people are in a very bad situation. “I found my mother’s dead body in the basement of our house.”
Acting Defense Minister, Asadullah Khalid in an immediate move landed in Parwan province to assess and address the issue of flood affected people.
Mr. Khalid ensured people that Afghan National Army not only defended the country, but also firmly stood alongside people at any situation, and won’t spare any efforts to help the suffering people.
The defense ministry rescue team is in the Charikar and has provided excavators, bulldozers and other machineries to clean and open ways.
