Severe Weather in Afghanistan Leads to 29 Fatalities

Severe hailstorms and heavy rainfall in Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of 29 people across two provinces, as reported by officials on Tuesday.

In Farah province, located in the western part of the country, 21 people were killed and six were injured due to the hailstorm. Mohammad Israel Sayar, head of the province's Disaster Management Department, stated that the victims were members of two families who had been out on a picnic when the storm struck.

Meanwhile, in the southern province of Kandahar, eight people, including women and children, lost their lives because of the heavy rain. A local disaster management statement revealed that four women, who were washing clothes, were swept away by floodwaters, leaving only one survivor. Additionally, a child drowned, and a roof collapsed on a family, killing a woman and three children.

Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, is highly vulnerable to climate change, which has caused extreme weather events. Ranked as the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change, Afghanistan faces significant threats, including drought, floods, land degradation, and declining agricultural productivity. Last year, flash floods in May killed hundreds and destroyed large areas of agricultural land, affecting the livelihoods of many, as 80 percent of the population relies on farming.