Kabakan, Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s first heavy spell of rain and snowfall this season has brought an end to a prolonged dry period but has also caused widespread destruction, with sudden floods killing at least 17 people and injuring 11 others, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
One of the worst-hit areas was the Kabakan district of Herat province, where the roof of a house collapsed, killing five members of the same family. The spokesperson for the Herat governor, Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, said the victims included two children.
NDMA spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Hamad said the severe weather conditions have significantly disrupted daily life across central, northern, southern and western regions of the country. He added that floods have damaged key infrastructure, killed livestock and affected nearly 1,800 families, further worsening conditions for already vulnerable urban and rural communities. Assessment teams have been deployed to the affected areas to evaluate the extent of the damage.
Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as flash floods following seasonal rainfall. Decades of conflict, weak infrastructure, deforestation and the accelerating impacts of climate change have intensified the effects of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are made of mud and offer little protection against sudden flooding.
Meanwhile, the United Nations and other aid agencies have warned that Afghanistan is likely to remain one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises in 2026. The UN and its humanitarian partners have appealed for $1.7 billion to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need of support across the country.
