ISLAMABAD (AP) — Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan has killed at least 12 people and left dozens missing, according to a Taliban spokesman and local officials.
Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday that around 40 people were missing after flash floods on Saturday evening in Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province, west of Kabul.
He added that all relevant authorities have been ordered to provide necessary assistance to people in the affected areas.
The provincial governor’s office said in a statement that hundreds of homes are either damaged or destroyed and the missing people are believed to be under the rubble of collapsed houses.
The statement also said that hundreds of hectares of agricultural land have been washed away and destroyed and the highway between the capital Kabul and the central province of Bamiyan is also closed due to flooding.