Flash floods kill 100 in Afghan city

CHARIKAR, Afghanistan: Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched on Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed at least 100 people and destroyed hundreds of houses in a city north of Kabul, officials said.

Troops pulled dozens of victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after torrential overnight rains fuelled fierce floods that swept through the city. Officials and witnesses said many children were among the dead. Local resident Mohamed Qasim, a 45-year-old farmer, told AFP that 11 members of his family were killed in the floods.

Piles of rocks from destroyed buildings were scattered across the city, with roads blocked by mud and debris and cars flipped on their side. Afghanistan’s state ministry for disaster management said the death toll from the floods had risen to 100, with about 100 other people injured and nearly 500 houses destroyed in the floods. In parts of Charikar anxious residents gathered to see if rescue workers using heavy machinery would be able to pull loved ones from the wreckage. Many residents stood on rooftops under continued heavy rain, holding on to their salvaged belongings.

Flash floods were also reported in other provinces — including Nangarhar, Panjshir, Wardak, Loghar, Paktika and Kapisa — but there were no reports of casualties, the disaster management ministry said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had ordered emergency relief to be sent to Charikar, the presidential palace said in a statement.