Monsoon floods kill 20 in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province as regional crisis deepens
Rescue teams search for missing officials and residents as flash floods linked to broader South Asian monsoon devastation strike eastern Afghanistan.
At least 20 people have been killed and more than 80 injured after monsoon-driven flash floods struck Afghanistan’s eastern Nuristan province on Monday, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA). The disaster has caused widespread destruction in the provincial capital, Parun, where the municipality building was completely destroyed alongside dozens of shops and hotels.
Rescue operations are currently underway in Parun, with provincial disaster management officials and the governor’s office coordinating search-and-rescue efforts. Among those missing are the mayor of Parun and several regional employees. Ashiqullah Safi, head of the local NGO Shpoul, reported that residents are searching debris-strewn areas without proper equipment, while large boulders remain scattered throughout the town.
The flooding in Nuristan is part of a broader monsoon season that has triggered extreme weather events across South Asia since June. Neighbouring India reported at least 25 deaths from floods and landslides in northern and northeastern regions on Monday. In Nepal, monsoon-related disasters including floods, landslides, and lightning strikes have killed 27 people, left one person missing, and injured 69 others since mid-June, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Environmental concerns have been raised regarding the increasing frequency of such disasters. Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, head of Afghanistan’s environmental protection agency, stated earlier this month that flooding in the country has increased, warning that environmental problems have contributed to a humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan, along with Pakistan and India, remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, particularly flash floods following seasonal rains.
The geographic context of the disaster highlights the regional scale of the impact. Parun is located approximately 465km from Jammu, where a separate flash flood caused extensive damage. As rescue teams continue to recover bodies and locate missing persons in Nuristan, the death toll in the province may rise as operations proceed in difficult conditions.
