As extreme weather continues to batter parts of central Asia, the death toll has sharply risen, with at least 140 people confirmed dead across hard-hit regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, officials reported on Wednesday.
In Afghanistan, approximately 70 people lost their lives over the past five days due to heavy rains, according to the government’s disaster management department. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, a similar number of fatalities were reported, with images depicting pedestrians wading through deep water on public streets and bridges earlier in the week. Officials noted that 65 people lost their lives in storm-related incidents, as the country grappled with spring downpours, with rainfall occurring at nearly twice the historical average rate.
The unusually dry winter in Afghanistan had left the land parched, exacerbating flash flooding triggered by the spring downpours across most provinces. Janan Sayeq, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management, stated that the rain between Saturday and Wednesday resulted in approximately 70 deaths, with 56 individuals injured, over 2,600 houses damaged or destroyed, and 95,000 acres of farmland washed away. Initially, most fatalities were attributed to roof collapses caused by the deluges.
In Pakistan, the majority of deaths were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwest, where collapsing buildings claimed dozens of lives, including at least 15 children, according to Khursheed Anwar, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Authority. Anwar noted that 1,370 houses were damaged in the region.
