Taliban ministry: Death toll from Afghanistan floods rises to 315

The Taliban-run ministry for refugees said on Sunday the death toll from flooding in northern Afghanistan was 315 with more than 1,600 people injured.

The interior ministry had said on May 12 the official death toll from the flash floods that hit on May 10 due to heavy rains was 153 but expected to rise, according to Reuters.

The refugee ministry, in a post on social media platform X, cited figures from its provincial office in northern Baghlan province.

Thousands of homes have been damaged and livestock wiped out, the refugee ministry said. Humanitarian organisations have said health care facilities and vital infrastructure like water have been damaged by the floods.

Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters and is considered by the United Nations to be one of countries most vulnerable to climate change.

The country has faced an aid shortfall after the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew in 2021, and development aid that formed the backbone of government finances was cut. That has worsened in subsequent years as foreign governments face global competing crises and due to condemnation of Taliban restrictions on Afghan women from aid work.

The Taliban's economy minister Din Mohammad Hanif in a statement on May 12 called on the UN, humanitarian agencies and private business to provide support to those affected by the floods.