Heavy floods hit Afghanistan
2005-03-20 15:21
Kabul - Nearly 200 people have died and thousands have been left homeless since Friday in severe flooding caused by snowmelt and torrential rains across Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.
"We have confirmed reports that more than 115 people have died of floods and thousands of homes have been destroyed," Uruzgan provincial governor Jan Mohammad said.
He added that more were feared dead in districts where all communication links had been cut by flooding.
"The number might be higher than we have reports of," he said.
The worst flood affected areas were Deh Rawood district in the central Uruzgan province and western Farah province where the Helmand and Farah Rod rivers burst their banks, destroying mud brick huts, killing livestock and leaving thousands homeless.
The governor of Farah province confirmed the deaths of 76 people and said over 1 000 animals were killed and thousands of homes swept away.
"Seventy-six men, women and children have lost their lives as the result of floods in the past two weeks," Governor Assadullah Falah told AFP over the phone on Sunday.
"More than 1 200 livestock have died and thousands of houses have been destroyed," he added.
The Afghan interior ministry also confirmed that floods in northern Balkh, Jawzjan and Panjshir provinces, eastern Laghman and southern Nimroz have killed thousands more livestock and destroyed homes and mosques.
Afghanistan suffered its worst winter for a decade after seven years of drought and has little infrastructure to cope with flood waters resulting from torrential rains and melting snow.
At least 580 people have died from disease, avalanches and road accidents during the bitter winter months and many more are feared dead in remote parts of the country.
Health officials say they expected flooding following the winter and have already stocked enough medicine for three months in the provinces.
Health ministry advisor Dr Abdullah Fahim said, "We have sent around two tons of medicine to provinces".
- SAPA