Flash floods kill 20 in southern Afghanistan

At least 20 people including a number of children have been killed in flash floods in six districts and the capital of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA, quoted the UN as saying, late Saturday.

The victims were killed when their homes collapsed or the vehicles they were travelling in were swept away, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, noting that at least 10 people from five districts were still missing.

An estimated 2,000 homes had been reportedly damaged across the affected districts and Kandahar city, where 600 houses had been either damaged or destroyed.

There is an urgent need for air support to rescue those who are trapped and to bring in immediate relief items, OCHA said in its report.

Afghanistan has seen an increased amount of snow and rain across the country in the past several days.