Over 100 Die As Flash Floods Destroy Houses Near Kabul

Children among dead as heavy rain drenches northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan; Pak army to deploy helicopters for rescue operations as Karachi downpour breaks 90-year-old record.

Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched on Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 100 people and destroyed hundreds of houses near Kabul, officials said.

Troops pulled dozens of victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after torrential overnight rains fuelled fierce floods that swept through the city. Officials and witnesses said many children were among the dead.

Local resident Mohamed Qasim, a 45-year-old farmer, told AFP that 11 members of his family were killed in the floods. “My sister, her husband, two of their daughters and their children were all sleeping in one house,” Qasim said.

“When the flood hit, the house collapsed on them. Eleven members of my family were killed, most of them my nieces and nephews.”

Piles of rocks from destroyed buildings were scattered across the city, with roads blocked by mud and debris and cars flipped on their side.

Heavy monsoon rains have also wrought havoc on neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in the southern city of Karachi reporting 30 deaths over the past three weeks from flood-related incidents, including injuries from collapsed buildings, drownings and electrocutions.