Afghans search for dozens missing, some with bare hands, after devastating flood in Nuristan province

At least 23 people have been killed and around 100 remain missing after a powerful flood tore through Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan, leaving rescue teams struggling to reach people trapped under mud and boulders, according to Afghan authorities and reports from the scene.

In the remote provincial capital of Parun, residents and rescuers were seen digging through the wreckage with wooden poles and, in many cases, their bare hands, as they searched for survivors and the missing. A bulldozer was being used in some areas, but the heavy debris and large rocks left by the flood were making the effort difficult, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The national disaster agency and the provincial governor’s office said the death toll had been updated from Monday’s deluge. The governor’s office also said the missing included Parun’s mayor and other government employees.

A pharmacist in the area, Farid Gul Zaheer, 34, said he had never seen anything like it. He described the flood as extremely dangerous and said it felt like an earthquake, with children and adults screaming as he tried to escape up the mountain. He was injured while fleeing, he told AFP.

The destruction in Parun was widespread. The manager of the Spogmai Hotel, Zakirullah Zaki, said the flood had destroyed hotels, markets and shops across the town. He described the disaster as “an act of God” and said the hotel was one of the few structures still standing, even as the surrounding area had been devastated. He also said his younger brother, who had been missing, was later found.

Juma Khan Nayel, communications chief for the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said the situation was “devastating” and that water had risen to unprecedented levels. The organisation has sent dozens of volunteers, who are helping with shovels and by hand. Aid teams are also providing food, water and tents to people whose homes were destroyed.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said the military had been deployed to help with relief operations, while the United Nations said it was assessing the disaster.

Zaheer said the flood had left him with nothing. He said residents were traumatised and had not slept through the night.

Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to climate-related flooding, and officials have said such events have become more frequent. In a statement this month, the head of the country’s environmental protection agency said environmental problems had badly affected Afghans and deepened the country’s humanitarian crisis.

This report is based on a monitored public feed. Source attribution: Dawn World. Source: Dawn World - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017247/afghans-search-for-dozens-missing-some-with-bare-hands-after-devastating-flood-in-nuristan-province