Over 300 people killed and thousands more displaced by floods in northern Afghanistan

The UN food agency said that really strong rain in Afghanistan has caused more than 300 people to die and thousands of houses have been destroyed. Most of the damage happened in the northern province of Baghlan on Friday.

“Lots of people have lost their lives and jobs,” said Arshad Malik, who works for Save the Children. “The fast floods went through villages, taking away houses and killing animals. ” Kids have no more things. Families who are still struggling from the financial effects of three years of drought really need help right away.

He said Afghanistan is not ready for climate change and needs help from other countries, especially with the heavy rains.

In April, heavy rains and floods killed 70 people and destroyed 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools in the country.

According to shopkeeper Nazer Mohammad quickly went home when he heard about the sudden floods hitting the edges of a city in northern Afghanistan. When he arrived, there was nothing left, not even his family of five.

“Everything suddenly happened. ” I went home, but there was no home there. Instead, I saw the neighborhood covered in mud and water,” said Mohammad, who is 48 years old. He said he buried his wife and two sons who were 15 and 8 years old. He’s still searching for his two daughters, who are 6 and 11 years old.

Mohammad found his wife and two sons’ dead bodies on the edge of Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, late Friday night.

“I hope someone has found my daughters and they are okay,” he said, trying not to cry. “In a very short time, I lost my family, home, and everything I owned. Now I have nothing left. ”

At least 240 people have died, including 51 children, according to UNICEF. Many international aid groups are sending teams to give help, like medicine, blankets, and other things. The World Health Organization gave 7 tons of medicine and emergency supplies.

The Save the Children group said that about 600,000 people, with half of them being children, are living in the five districts in Baghlan that have been badly affected by the floods. The group sent a mobile clinic with doctors and social workers to help kids and their families.