UN declares state of emergency as more than 200 dead in Afghanistan flash floods

Afghan people gather along a road before a flooded area between Samangan and Mazar-i-Sharif following a flash flood after heavy rainfall in Feroz Nakhchir district of Samangan Province on May 11, 2024. [AFP]

More than 200 people were killed in flash floods that ripped through multiple Afghan provinces, the United Nations said on Saturday, as authorities declared a state of emergency and rushed to rescue the injured.

Heavy rains on Friday sent roaring rivers of water and mud crashing through villages and across agricultural land in several provinces, with northern Baghlan one of the hardest hit.