James Myers of OAN
2:20pm – Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Heavy rains over the past few days have toppled Pakistan and Afghanistan and killed more than 135 people in neighboring countries, authorities said.
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Continuous heavy rains hitting Afghanistan have killed around 70 people in the past five days, according to the government’s disaster management department.
Meanwhile, similar numbers were reported from Pakistan on Wednesday, and footage from earlier in the week showed scores of pedestrians wading through deep water that flooded public roads and bridges.
Officials say 65 people have died in Pakistan after heavy spring rains dumped almost twice the average amount of rain on record.
Disaster management spokesperson Janan Sayek said “about 70 people lost their lives” due to the rains from Saturday to Wednesday. He also noted that 56 other people were injured, more than 2,600 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 95,000 acres of farmland were destroyed.
Sayek also said the deaths were due to roof collapse due to flooding.
Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, said: AP news We have seen a significant increase in heavier rainfall.
“So far this month, Balochistan has received 353% more rainfall than normal,” Babar said. “Overall, rainfall is 99% higher than the average for all of Pakistan, showing that climate change is already happening in our country.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan has become accustomed to fighting conflicts and natural disasters. Last year alone, more than 150 people died in the harsh winter, followed by dozens of flash floods.
Moreover, since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the Middle Eastern country has been mired in an economic and humanitarian crisis, with much of the aid to the region blocked.
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