Toll of Destruction: 45 Dead, 74 Injured as Severe Floods Level Buildings Across Afghanistan and Pakistan

KABUL/PESHAWAR — A devastating five-day stretch of relentless storms and torrential rainfall has left at least 45 people dead and 74 others injured across Afghanistan and Pakistan. The extreme weather, driven by a 1,000-kilometer rain band stretching from the Hindu Kush into the Indian subcontinent, has triggered flash floods, landslides, and widespread structural collapses.

Authorities in both nations warned on Monday, March 30, 2026, that the crisis is ongoing, with weather conditions remaining "unstable" and the risk of further flooding high as the monsoon-like systems continue to batter the region.

In Afghanistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that at least 28 people have been killed and 49 others injured since the storms began on March 26.

Most of these fatalities occurred in the central and eastern provinces, specifically impacting Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Daykundi, and Logar. The infrastructure loss has been catastrophic, with over 130 homes completely leveled by landslides and flash floods, while an additional 430 dwellings sustained significant damage.

Individual tragedies have further marked the crisis, including a 14-year-old boy struck by lightning in the northwestern Badghis province and three others in the same region who drowned while attempting to recover driftwood from a surging river for heating.

This widespread devastation has led to severe isolation for many communities, as several major highways remain closed due to debris and rising water levels, cutting off remote villages from essential emergency services.

Across the border in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority confirmed 17 deaths and 25 injuries, with the scale of the tragedy marked by a particularly high toll on children.

Officials reported that 14 of the deceased were minors, most of whom were killed when the roofs and walls of their homes collapsed under the immense weight of the water. This urban impact was felt acutely in Bannu and Peshawar, where heavy rain and strong winds caused numerous building failures, including a mosque veranda collapse in Bannu that claimed three lives.

These events underscore the region's extreme climate vulnerability; the United Nations has repeatedly identified both Pakistan and Afghanistan as being among the world's most at-risk nations, especially following the catastrophic 2025 floods that resulted in nearly 1,000 fatalities.

Meteorologists attribute the severity of this system to a straight-line "trough" of low pressure, a variation of the usual Western Disturbances that typically bring winter snow. Scientists noted that these systems have grown increasingly erratic and intense due to global warming, leading to unseasonable and violent thunderstorms in early spring.

With over 1,140 families currently affected and humanitarian aid levels in Afghanistan at record lows since 2021, the regional government has issued an urgent plea for citizens to stay away from riverbanks and follow official weather forecasts strictly.