Muthomi Ireri
Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people and injuries to nearly 350 others, according to Taliban officials on Tuesday. Additionally, 17 people died in a separate incident where a bus overturned on a main highway, as reported by official media.
Sharafat Zaman Amar, spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry, confirmed the fatalities from Monday’s storm and noted that 347 injured individuals were treated at the regional hospital in Nangarhar. These victims were brought from Jalalabad, the provincial capital, and surrounding districts.
Among the deceased were five members of a single family, who perished when their house’s roof collapsed in Surkh Rod district, stated provincial spokesperson Sediqullah Quraishi. Four other family members sustained injuries.
Approximately 400 houses and 60 electricity poles were destroyed across Nangarhar province, leading to power outages in many areas and limited communication in Jalalabad city. Quraishi mentioned that the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
Abdul Wali, 43, recounted the storm’s intensity: “The winds were so strong that they blew everything into the air. That was followed by heavy rain.” His 4-year-old daughter suffered minor injuries during the event.
This follows another incident in May where exceptionally heavy rains killed over 300 people and destroyed thousands of houses, primarily in Baghlan province, according to the World Food Program.
In a separate tragedy, the official Taliban news agency Bakhtar reported that at least 17 people were killed and 34 others injured when a bus overturned on the main highway between Kabul and Balkh in northern Baghlan province on Tuesday morning. The cause of the accident is currently unclear, but poor road conditions and reckless driving are frequently cited as contributing factors in such incidents.
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