Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have resulted in the death of at least 40 individuals and the injury of nearly 350 others, as reported by Taliban officials on Tuesday. Additionally, at least 17 people lost their lives when a bus overturned on a main highway, disclosed official media sources. Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry, confirmed the death toll from the storm and mentioned that 347 injured individuals were transported to the regional hospital in Nangarhar from Jalalabad for treatment. Five members of a single family died due to their house collapsing in Surkh Rod district, with four other family members sustaining injuries. Approximately 400 houses and 60 electricity poles were destroyed in Nangarhar province, causing power outages in many areas and disrupting communication in Jalalabad city. Provincial spokesperson Sediqullah Quraishi stated that the extent of the damage was still being evaluated.
Abdul Wali, 43, described how the severe winds and heavy rain caused extensive destruction within an hour. He mentioned that his 4-year-old daughter sustained minor injuries during the storm. Notably, in May, over 300 individuals were killed by exceptionally heavy rains, leading to the destruction of numerous houses, primarily in Baghlan province, according to the World Food Program. In a separate incident, the Taliban news agency Bakhtar reported that a bus accident on the Kabul-Balkh highway in northern Baghlan province resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people and left 34 others injured. While the cause of the accident remains unclear, the country often attributes such incidents to poor road conditions and reckless driving habits.
