At least 66 dead as new floods hit Afghanistan’s Faryab province

Fresh floods have killed at least 66 people in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, says a provincial official, in the latest deadly string of disasters to hit the country in recent days.

Heavy floods in multiple districts of Faryab province on Saturday night “resulted in human and financial losses”, Asmatullah Moradi, spokesman for the Faryab governor, said in a statement on Sunday.

Due to the floods 66 people were killed,” he said, adding that at least five people were injured and several others missing.

The flooding damaged more than 1,500 houses, swamped more than 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of agricultural land and killed livestock in their hundreds, he said.

Another 18 people had also died in floods in the same province on Friday, Moradi added.

The latest disaster in Faryab came just a day after provincial authorities said 50 people were killed in flash flooding just south of the province in Ghor.

According to the Kabul-based TOLONews, up to 80 percent of the city of Ferozkoh in Ghor was destroyed by the flooding.

Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters, and the United Nations considers it among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Just over a week ago, more than 300 people were killed in flash flooding in northern Baghlan province, according to the UN World Food Programme and Taliban officials.