KABUL -- Flash floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 35 people in Afghanistan, washing away houses and cutting off access to remote villages across parts of the country, officials said Saturday (March 30).
Heavy flooding that started early Friday (March 29) killed at least 12 people in Faryab Province and 10 in Herat Province, said Hashmat Bahaduri, a spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).
Eight more Afghans were killed in Badghis Province and five in Balkh Province, Bahaduri told AFP, adding that more than 3,000 houses had been destroyed.
"The destruction is huge. More than 12 areas in the province have been badly hit; people have lost their houses. We've been able to provide them with only some food and blankets so far," said Mir Gulabuddin Miri, director of the Afghan Red Crescent in Herat.
"We have dispatched our food and non-food assistance for the affected families, but the scale of the disaster is massive. We need more humanitarian assistance," an ANDMA spokesman in northern Afghanistan told AFP.
In March, at least 20 individuals were killed by flash floods caused by heavy rains that swept away thousands of homes and vehicles in Kandahar Province.
