200 Reported Dead in Afghanistan Floods

Torrential rains have killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of houses in several parts of Afghanistan in recent days, officials said today.

The worst-hit areas of the country were the western provinces of Farah, Ghor, Faryab and Herat and central Oruzgan province.

“The deaths of 115 have been confirmed ... while thousands of homes have been destroyed,” Oruzgan Gov. Jan Mohammed Khan said, adding that many more people were missing.

U.S. military helicopters rescued about 250 people in Oruzgan’s Deh Rawood area, 250 miles southwest of Kabul, the capital, after the Helmand River burst its banks.

In Farah, 68 people died as a result of floods, Gov. Assadullah Falah said.

“We have reports of total destruction of 7,800 houses in Farah,” he said, adding that large numbers of livestock had been killed.

About 2,500 houses collapsed in Herat province, and officials reported 40 more deaths in Faryab and Ghor.

Most houses in Afghanistan are built of mud, and the unstable structures are highly vulnerable to flooding.

Afghanistan is emerging from its worst winter in more than a decade after nearly six years of drought.

The weather is good news for Afghan farmers impoverished by the drought. However, more than 300 people have reportedly died from exposure and cold-related illnesses such as pneumonia and whooping cough this year.