Flash floods in Afghanistan kill more than 40: Official

KABUL (AFP) - Flash floods triggered by days of torrential rain have killed more than 40 people in Afghanistan, destroying dozens of houses, a senior disaster official said on Sunday.

Heavy flooding that began three days ago hit nine eastern and south-eastern provinces and some districts of the capital Kabul.

Surobi district of Kabul was the hardest hit, said Ghulam Farooq, the head of emergency operations for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

"The primary report indicates that 35 people have died in Surobi district, eight in Khost and one in Kapisa," he said.

Four people were missing in eastern Nangarhar province, he added.

The floodwaters also destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland and displaced hundreds of people in those provinces, he said.

"At least 237 houses have been destroyed in Surobi alone," he said.

He said emergency teams had been sent to the areas to assess the situation.

Harsh winters in Afghanistan and heavy snowfalls often cause swollen rivers that trigger flooding in the mountainous country in spring and summer.

But this year, Afghanistan witnessed one of the hottest summers in decades with temperatures reaching up to 50 deg C in some parts.

Across the border in Pakistan floods have also killed 45 people with disaster relief officials warning more rain was on its way.

Flash floods caused by monsoon downpours have inundated some main roads in the sprawling port city of Karachi and swept away homes in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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