Kabul, April 2 (IANS) One person was killed and 13 others injured after flash floods swept through several areas in Afghanistan’s Herat province, local media reported citing an official statement on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s Pajhwok Afghan News quoted provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi as saying that rescue operations were being conducted to rescue trapped people. Saeedi said a trailer truck was also stranded due to floodwaters on the Herat-Kandahar highway. However, the situation was resolved due to timely action.
Saeedi said that 13 people were injured after a passenger bus travelling on the Herat–Farah highway overturned due to flooding. He said that three people were trapped due to floods in Adraskan district. Among them, two were rescued through efforts made by local residents and response team while one person lost his life.
He said that rescue operations were being conducted to rescue two people trapped by floodwaters in the Torghundi river. In a similar incident, three vehicles were stranded in floodwaters in Rud Bazaar area of Gulran district. However, all passengers and vehicles were safely rescued by response teams and local residents.
On March 30, Disaster Preparedness Authority spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Hamad said that 28 people have been killed and 49 others injured due to heavy rains, floods and lightening in several provinces of Afghanistan since February 26.
Hamad said that the affected provinces include Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Ghor, Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Panjshir, Jawzjan, Faryab, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Daikundi, Paktia, Paktika, Logar, Zabul, Balkh, Badghis, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Baghlan, Takhar, Laghman, and Nangarhar, Afghanistan’s Tolo News reported.
As many as 568 houses and 10 shops were destroyed, 93 kilometres of roads damaged and around 244 livestock lost during the floods. Hamad said that 1,130 families have been impacted by these rains.
Hamad said that the Disaster Preparedness Authority has sent assistance, food supplies and other aid to the impacted residents. Authorities have asked residents to ensure their safety and advised them to stay away from rivers and flood-prone regions.
–IANS
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