Heavy flooding in northern Afghanistan has killed more than two dozen people and injured scores of others, as days of rain killed at least 90 people and damaged at least a thousand homes in nearby Pakistan.
The flooding in Afghanistan's Parwan region following heavy rains has killed 25 people and injured 40, although a spokesperson for the province said casualties may still rise as rescue teams work to locate those buried under hundreds of destroyed houses.
The province called on the government to deliver aid and provide immediate support for workers digging through mud to reach those trapped.
Summer often brings heavy rainfall in northern and eastern Afghanistan, leading to floods that leave hundreds dead every year, while another spell of heavy rain lashed Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
Streets and homes were flooded with sewage water in Karachi on Tuesday, where the drainage and sewage systems are outdated.
Of the total rain-related casualties, 31 deaths were reported in southern Sindh province, while 23 people died in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the agency. It said 15 deaths were reported in south-west Balochistan province and eight in Punjab province. Thirteen more people died elsewhere in northern Pakistan, including three in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Troops, rescuers and volunteers from the radical group Tehreek-e-Labbaik were seen rescuing people from inundated residential neighbourhoods in Karachi as some families waded through waist-high water. Hundreds of rain-affected people went to the houses of relatives in the country’s largest city.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, troops using boats rescued 300 people from rain-hit district of Dadu in Sindh province, while 1,245 people were removed from Karachi’s rain-hit areas, where residents said they were still waiting for help.
Floods in Afghanistan and Pakistan leave over 100 dead
Scores of vehicles were seen submerged in water in Karachi.
The rains are expected to continue this week, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this month sent troops to help local authorities in pumping out rainwater from inundated residential areas.
It comes at a time when authorities are trying to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The monsoon season runs from July to September.
