More than 200 people have been killed in flash floods across several 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 caused rivers of water and mud to flood villages and agricultural lands in several provinces, with northern Baghlan being the most affected.
The UN's International Organization for Migration told AFP that more than 200 people were killed and thousands of homes destroyed or damaged in Baghlan alone.
In one district, Baghlani Jadid, 1,500 houses were damaged or destroyed and “more than 100 people were killed”, Mohammed Fahim Safi, the national program officer leading IOM's emergency response, said, citing government figures.
Taliban government officials had said that 62 people had died as of Friday night.
“Hundreds of our fellow citizens have died as a result of these devastating floods,” government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement posted on Saturday.
He did not distinguish between the number of dead and injured, but told AFP that dozens had been killed.
Friday's rain also caused heavy damage in northeastern Badakhshan province, central Ghor province and western Herat, officials said.
According to the Defense Ministry, emergency personnel were rushing to rescue injured and trapped people.
“Apart from human casualties, these floods have also caused huge financial losses to people,” said Ahmed Seyar Sajid, head of the natural disaster management department in northern Takhar province. They estimate that 20 people have died in the flood.