Heavy rains, floods kill at least 82 across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan

At least 82 people have been killed after days of torrential rain triggered deadly flooding across northeastern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with authorities warning that rescue operations are continuing in some of the worst-hit areas.

In India's northeastern state of Assam, at least 10 people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the state's death toll this week to 36, Caliber.Az reports, citing British media.

Officials described the flooding as "unprecedented devastation".

More than 650,000 people have been affected across 11 districts of Assam, according to the state's disaster management authority. A government report said the flooding was largely caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall in neighbouring Nagaland between 18 and 20 July, which led to unusually high river levels.

Assam, through which the Brahmaputra River flows, is regularly hit by severe flooding during the annual monsoon season.

Elsewhere, at least 46 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in flooding across Afghanistan's northeastern Nuristan province and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the past 72 hours, according to disaster management authorities.

"The floods swept away houses and hotels. Everything is gone. It is complete devastation," Mujib ur Rahman, a resident of Nuristan's provincial capital, told Reuters, adding that heavy machinery was being used to rescue people still trapped by floodwaters.

The floods have damaged farmland, roads, public infrastructure and other facilities across the affected regions, complicating relief efforts.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are among the countries considered most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change despite contributing relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists say increasingly intense floods, prolonged droughts, glacier melt and growing water shortages are placing millions of people at greater risk.