Floods’ toll reaches 37 in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — Heavy rains brought severe flooding to nine provinces around Afghanistan in recent days, killing at least 37 people, some of them children, officials said Tuesday.

Heavy flooding compounded by mudslides often threatens remote areas of Afghanistan, where infrastructure is poor, especially during the spring and summer months.

Powerful floodwaters in western Herat province that began Sunday killed 24 people around the province, said provincial governor’s spokesman Jailani Farhad.

Gov. Abdul Tahir Faizzada of Western Ghor province said 10 people, including six children, were killed by floodwaters that flowed from area mountains. He said 163 houses were partially destroyed and 910 people were displaced.

The spokesman for Afghanistan’s natural disaster ministry, Tamim Azimi, said over 405 families were displaced in different provinces around the country. He said some of the flooding came from overflowing rivers.

He said 10 vehicles were stuck in northern Samangan province, where three people were killed.