KABUL: At least 14 people have died in Afghanistan as severe storms, rain-triggered landslides, and heavy snow battered the country, officials said, with further risks reported on Thursday.
In Kandahar, strong winds and heavy rainfall on Wednesday killed six children, damaged homes, and caused substantial financial losses across several districts, the province’s emergency department reported. An avalanche in Parwan province, west of Kabul, claimed one life.
The National Disaster Management Authority spokesperson confirmed that in total, 11 deaths occurred across six provinces in the north, centre, and south of the country, including the incidents in Kandahar and Parwan.
In eastern Nuristan province, a landslide in Quraish village triggered by heavy rain struck a house on Wednesday, killing three family members and injuring two others. Provincial government spokesman Fraidoon Samim said, “Two 10-year-old girls and a teenage boy were killed.”
Central Ghazni province saw around 80 centimetres (31 inches) of snow fall within 24 hours, according to an AFP correspondent, leading to market closures and blocked roads.
Heavy snowfall in multiple provinces and in Kabul also caused several traffic accidents. Afghanistan regularly faces deadly floods, landslides, and storms, particularly in remote areas with weak infrastructure, leaving local communities highly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
