Dozens killed and missing in floods in Afghanistan

The death toll from the flash floods caused by torrential rain in central Afghanistan has risen to at least 30, a disaster ministry official said on Sunday.

Mohammad Shafi Rahimi said 26 of the deaths occurred in Jalrez district, 46km east of Kabul, after rain washed away hundreds of houses, most of them built of earth, and four people died in Kabul.

More than 70 were injured in both the districts, he said, adding that at least 40 others were missing, believed to be under the rubble of collapsed homes.

Aid is being sent to the worst-hit area of Maidan Wardak province west of Kabul, said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majid in a tweet.

He issued a condolence message, calling on aid groups and the Kabul administration to help the bereaved families, adding that all authorities have been ordered to provide assistance to the people in need.

Flash floods are a regular occurrence during Afghanistan's wet season, wreaking havoc on the country's poor infrastructure.

Fifteen people were killed on Sunday after becoming trapped by floodwaters during a wedding party in Maidan Wardak, the Hasht e Subh newspaper reported

More than 600 homes have been partially or completely destroyed since Friday in the province's district of Jalrez, Mr Rahimi said at a news conference, and the floods have also destroyed large swathes of farmland.

At least 214 people have been killed in natural disaster-related incidents in the last four months, he said.

The motorway between Kabul and the central Bamiyan province is also closed by floods.

Afghanistan is one of the world's most climate vulnerable countries.

Droughts and landslides in the wet season are likely to become the norm as climate change worsens, the UN has said, piling pressure on a country heavily reliant on agriculture.

Other parts of Asia have also been hit by severe flooding in recent weeks.

Floods in northern India triggered landslides and killed 22 people in July, while Delhi saw record levels of rain.

Thousands of people living along the banks of the Yamuna river were also ordered to leave their homes as it reached unprecedented levels, with authorities warning of potential foods.