Monsoon-driven flash flooding kills at least 20 in Afghanistan | Floods News
Rescue Efforts Intensify in Flood-Stricken Nuristan Province
Published July 20, 2026
Rescue teams are urgently working to reach Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan following devastating monsoon-driven flash floods that have claimed at least 20 lives.
According to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), the floods struck on Monday, severely damaging homes and businesses in Parun, the province’s main city. The recent monsoon season has caused widespread destruction across the region, also resulting in numerous fatalities in neighboring India and Nepal.
The latest reports indicate that more than 80 individuals have been injured, and recovery operations are underway to locate missing persons, including the mayor of Parun and several government employees.
Officials from the provincial disaster management department have initiated search-and-rescue efforts aimed at recovering bodies and assisting those affected. Local NGO leader Ashiqullah Safi described the scene, stating that the floodwaters had “completely destroyed the municipality.”
The destruction includes hotels and shops, with residents now sifting through debris without adequate rescue equipment. Large boulders were left scattered throughout the town, further complicating recovery efforts.
Afghanistan, along with its neighbors Pakistan and India, is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, especially flash floods that tend to follow the seasonal rains. The current monsoon season has wreaked havoc across South Asia since June, leading to numerous landslides and flooding incidents.
On the same day as the floods in Nuristan, officials in northern and northeastern India reported that at least 25 people had died due to similar weather-related events. Parun is situated approximately 465 kilometers (290 miles) from Jammu, where flash floods caused significant damage.
In Nepal, monsoon-related floods and landslides have resulted in 27 deaths, with one person unaccounted for and 69 others injured since mid-June, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, head of Afghanistan’s environmental protection agency, warned earlier this month that the increase in flooding incidents is contributing to a humanitarian crisis, underscoring the growing environmental challenges facing the country.
