Avalanches, flash flood destroy 20 houses in northern Afghanistan

Heavy rainfall that triggered avalanches and flash flood has inflicted property damages and rendered scores of people homeless in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Sunday.

Mawlawi Mohammad Akram Akbari, provincial government director for Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, said the downpour occurred in Kofab district of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province on Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The avalanches and flooding caused by the downpour that swept across Chantio village of Kofab district Saturday afternoon completely destroyed 20 houses, 25 shops and 600 acres of farmland, rendering scores of people homeless, the official said.

Calling for providing assistances to the affected families, the official warned that overlooking the miseries of the disaster-affected families would lead to a tragedy in the ill-fated village.

According to Akbari, a tremor also destroyed 75 residential houses in and outside provincial capital Faizabad couple of days ago.

Heavy snowfall, freezing weather and avalanches have killed nearly 200 people including children in the chilly winter across Afghanistan over the past one month.

--IANS

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