KABUL
\nHundreds of people are feared dead after flash flooding hit northern Afghanistan, with warnings the toll could rise after further storms across the region.
\nTaliban officials say at least 150 have been killed, while the World Food Programme says more than 300 have died, after heavy rainfall hit five districts in Baghlan province on Friday night.
\nPictures on social media showed torrents of water sweeping through houses in several villages, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
\nThe country has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall over the last few weeks, with floods killing scores of people since mid-April.
\nAbdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for Afghanistan\u2019s interior ministry, told the BBC that at least 131 people had died in Baghlan province and 20 in Takhar.
\nMeanwhile, Rana Deraz, from the UN\u2019s World Food Programme, told the AFP news agency there had been 311 deaths in Baghlan.
\nMs Deraz said 2,011 houses had been destroyed and an additional 2,800 damaged.
\nThree mosques, and four schools were also affected.
\nMany of those who had died came from the province\u2019s Borka district where more than 200 people had been trapped inside their homes.
\nThere are also reports of severe damage in the provinces of Badakhshan, Ghor and western Herat.
\nLocal official Hedayatullah Hamdard told AFP news agency emergency personnel including the army were \u201csearching for any possible victims under the mud and rubble\u201d.
\nTents, blankets and food were provided to some families who had lost their homes, the official added.
\nThe main road connecting Kabul to northern Afghanistan is closed.
\nIt comes after flooding last month in the west of the country killed dozens of people, leaving thousands requiring humanitarian aid.
\nFlash flooding happens when rain falls so heavily that normal drainage cannot cope.
\nExperts say a relatively dry winter has made it more difficult for the soil to absorb rainfall. Vast areas of farmland have also been submerged.
\nTorrential rain and flooding kill people every year in Afghanistan, where badly built houses in isolated rural areas are particularly vulnerable.
\nAfghanistan is among the globe\u2019s most at risk nations from the effects of climate change, according to experts.
\nThe nation is one of the poorest in the world, having been ravaged by decades of war which culminated in the withdrawal of a US-led coalition and the Taliban retaking control in 2021.
\nMany factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
\nThe world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL Hundreds of people are feared dead after flash flooding hit northern Afghanistan, with warnings the toll could rise after further storms across the region. Taliban officials say at least 150 have been killed, while the World Food Programme says more than 300 have died, after heavy rainfall hit five districts in Baghlan province on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-406403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n