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More Than 100 Killed By Floods in Afghanistan


A helicopter distributes relief goods to flood-affected residents of Sheberghan, in northern Afghanistan, on April 25.
A helicopter distributes relief goods to flood-affected residents of Sheberghan, in northern Afghanistan, on April 25.
Authorities in Afghanistan have confirmed the deaths of more than 100 people as a result of floods in four northwestern provinces.

With thousands displaced by two days of torrential rain and many people missing, provincial officials on April 26 said they expect the death toll to rise substantially in the coming days as rescue workers arrive in areas that have been made inaccessible in the ravaged region.

In Jowzjan Province, police say they've recovered the bodies of at least 55 flood victims and that at least 82 residents are registered as missing.

The death toll in Jowzjan includes at least 16 people killed in the provincial capital, Sheberghan.

In the city of Sar-e Pul, capital of Sar-e Pul Province, there have been 15 confirmed deaths and 16 people were listed as missing on April 26.

Sar-e Pul’s provincial governor told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan on April 26 that many more are thought to have perished in the district of Solzma Qala, where most houses have been destroyed.

But authorities have so far been unable to reach that district.

Local officials in Faryab Province have reported the deaths of 33 people -- and again, many are listed as missing.

In Badghis Province, eight deaths have been confirmed in an area that is close to the provincial border with Herat Province.

Those deaths in Badghis include six people from the same family.

Sayed Ali Mohammad, a shopkeeper in Badghis Province, said on April 25 that many shops and houses in the area have been destroyed by raging flood waters.

“So far, we have not received any aid from the government,” Mohammad said.

But Afghan officials say they have deployed military helicopters on rescue missions to some of the hardest hit areas and have moved more than 1,500 people to safer ground.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and Tolo TV
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