Flash floods kill 31 in Afghanistan

KABUL - Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have killed 31 people while five others were missing in northern Afghanistan, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

A further 17 were injured in the floods, which mostly affected the areas of Shokhi, Darmanda and Nowabad in the northern province of Kapisa, the provincial governor’s spokesman Abdul Haleem Ayar said.

Nearly 1,000 head of livestock and more than 10,000 houses were destroyed, while 500 families were seeking shelter in the main cities, the official said.

Several dirt roads to the remote areas were blocked by the floods, making it difficult for supplies and rescue teams to reach the affected areas.

Nearly 90 people were killed in floods in western Afghanistan in May.