At least 20 killed and more than 100 missing in Afghanistan flooding

At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 remained missing after flooding hit Afghanistan's Nuristan province on Monday, officials said.

Afghanistan's disaster agency, ANDMA, said 20 bodies had been recovered and more than 80 people were injured. The casualties were reported in Parun, the provincial capital, and other parts of Nuristan, which borders Pakistan.

In Parun, only mud remained where riverside shops had stood, and residents were searching for missing people, including the town's mayor. The Nuristan governor's office said government employees were among those missing.

Feraidon Samim, spokesman for the Nuristan governor, said nine bodies had been recovered. Both he and ANDMA said more than 100 people remained missing.

Ashiqullah Safi, head of the local NGO Shpoul, said the flood had completely destroyed the municipality, as well as hotels and dozens of shops. He said residents were searching without equipment after the floodwaters left large boulders in the town.

A video filmed by a resident and shared with AFP showed dozens of people standing on mud while others gathered along a road beside a rushing river.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan government's top spokesman, confirmed deaths and property damage in Nuristan province. He wrote on X that relevant agencies were working to save lives and property.

ANDMA forecast more rain and storms across multiple provinces and warned residents to stay away from riverbanks and other flood-risk areas.

The head of Afghanistan's environmental protection agency, Mawlavi Mati-ul-Haq Khalis, said this month that the country is particularly vulnerable to climate change and that flooding has increased. He said environmental problems had severely affected Afghans and contributed to a humanitarian crisis.

The report said around 150 people were killed by flooding and rain in Afghanistan in April, and at least 24 died in May.