'Catastrophic floods' kill more than 300 in Afghanistan, wash away entire villages
BAGHLAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Flash flooding on Friday, triggered by spring rain and snowmelt, decimated around eight districts across Baghlan province in Afghanistan, killing more than 300, with the death toll steadily rising. Many villages are completely cut off.
Steady waves of villagers carry loved ones to cemeteries to be buried in the growing rows of graves.
"The flash floods destroyed all our houses," one mourner told Reuters. "I lost 13 members of my family, including women and children. So many livestock have been destroyed as well."
Death toll numbers vary across media sites. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 315 villagers died, 1,630 were injured, 665 homes were destroyed and 1,000 livestock animals died. The NC4 reporting agency put the toll at more than 347 deaths, 2,500 residences destroyed and another 2,800 homes damaged. No agency has attempted to estimate the number of missing people yet.
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"The disaster has claimed the lives of more than 300 individuals, with several others still missing and many left homeless. Hundreds remain trapped in their homes beneath debris and mud," the WHO reported on Sunday. "Extensive rescue and search operations are ongoing, suggesting that the death toll could rise significantly."
Video and pictures show vast landscapes scraped bare on communities and farms. Stunned survivors trudge through mud into gaping holes in their stone and cinder-block homes, searching for anything to salvage. Streets buried in mud are unrecognizable in what used to be neighborhoods. Every surface is covered in brown-gray mud.
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Farmers say the wheat crop is gone and the mud, rocks and wood debris covering fields makes replanting nearly impossible.
"We have no food, no drinking water, no shelter, no blankets, nothing at all, the floods have destroyed everything," the mourner continued. "Out of 42 houses, only two or three houses remained. They (the floods) have destroyed the entire valley."
Six villages are completely cut off from humanitarian teams and first responders. Country officials hope to air drop response teams by Air Force helicopters in coming days, according to the WHO. It called the unprecedented floods "catastrophic."
"The full extent of the damage is not yet known, and the country lacks the necessary resources to manage a disaster of this magnitude," stated the WMO situation report. "Several health facilities have been affected and are currently non-operational."
Continuing heavy rains make sending in much needed help challenging.
The organization reports a vast increase in waterborne diseases, like diarrhea and skin infections. As so many roads were washed out, U.N. relief workers are sending in food and medication by donkey.
"Most of the affected areas in Baghlan, Afghanistan, is inaccessible by trucks," posted the U.N. "WFP (World Food Program) had to resort to every alternative to get food to the survivors who lost everything.
The loss of livestock also cuts down on the isolated villagers' ability to seek food, medicine and higher ground.
"It is worth reminding that due to the damage of camels in these incidents, many of our countrymen need emergency humanitarian aid in Baghlan and other flood-affected provinces including Badakhshan, Takhar, Herat and Ghor," the Afghanistan Minister of Refugees posted on social media.
The flood struck Friday afternoon when many men were at work or at prayers. Several report coming home to find villages covered in mud with bodies of neighbors and cows strewn about. More villagers report that they can't pull love ones, crushed by debris and homes, out to bury.
The area was still reeling from deadly floods in March and heavy rain over the past several weeks.
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Original article source: 'Catastrophic floods' kill more than 300 in Afghanistan, wash away entire villages
