UN Special Rapporteur calls for immediate aid for flood victims in Afghanistan

Kabul [Afghanistan], May 11 : The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has called for immediate aid for flood victims in the country, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.

On May 11, Bennett called recent floods in Afghanistan, including in Baghlan where many lives were lost, a stark reminder of Afghanistan's vulnerability to climate crises.

In a post on X, Richard Bennett stated, "Recent floods in Afghanistan including Baghlan which claimed many lives, are a stark reminder of Afghanistan's vulnerability to the #climatecrisis & both immediate aid and long term planning by the Taliban & international actors are needed. Condolences to the families of victims."

Devastation floods have been witnessed in Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Samangan, Herat, and Ghor provinces of Afghanistan. Floods have wreaked havoc across several regions, causing destruction of hundreds of houses.

Residents have been displaced and they have lost their shelters and belongings, further worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in these areas, Khaama Press reported.

As many as 130 people have died and 100 others were injured after the deadly floods in four districts of Baghlan, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported. According to local officials in Baghlan, the death toll may rise.

Officials said over a 1000 residential homes, thousands of hectares of agricultural land, and hundreds of heads of livestock have been lost in the floods, the report said.

Speaking to TOLO News, Alam Majidi, Taliban-appointed Baghlan governor's spokesperson said, "The figures we have received so far indicate that the death toll has reached 130, and the number of injured has reached 100."

The relatives of flood victims have urged Taliban and both domestic and international organizations to address the challenges and rescue those who are trapped.

Mohammad Zaher, a flood victim from Baghlan, said, "Most of the bodies have not yet been found, and their loved ones are searching for them. Just now, we have buried twenty bodies," TOLO News reported.

Another flood victim in Baghlan Mohammad Zalmay said, "More than five hundred homes have been destroyed, and about four hundred people have been killed or injured."

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has said that the death toll from these floods to be more than 300, according to TOLO News reported. Moreover, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has stated the death toll from these floods is at least 200.

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