Heavy Rains Set Off Flash Floods, Killing 33 People in Afghanistan

 Afghan people wait to cross a flooded area in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2024, after a flash flood following a heavy rainfall. (AFP)
Afghan people wait to cross a flooded area in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2024, after a flash flood following a heavy rainfall. (AFP)
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Heavy Rains Set Off Flash Floods, Killing 33 People in Afghanistan

 Afghan people wait to cross a flooded area in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2024, after a flash flood following a heavy rainfall. (AFP)
Afghan people wait to cross a flooded area in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2024, after a flash flood following a heavy rainfall. (AFP)

Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people and injured 27 others in three days, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday.

Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that flash floods hit the capital, Kabul, and several other provinces across the country.

He added more than 600 houses were either partially or completely destroyed while around 200 livestock perished.

The flooding also damaged around 800 hectares of agricultural land, and more than 85 kilometers (53 miles) of roads, Saiq said.

Western Farah, Herat, southern Zabul and Kandahar are among the provinces that suffered the most damage, he added.

The weather department has warned that more rain is expected in the coming days in most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.



30 People Die in a Crash between a Passenger Bus and a Truck in Brazil

A general view of Brazil's National Congress during sunset in Brasilia, Brazil, June 11, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A general view of Brazil's National Congress during sunset in Brasilia, Brazil, June 11, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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30 People Die in a Crash between a Passenger Bus and a Truck in Brazil

A general view of Brazil's National Congress during sunset in Brasilia, Brazil, June 11, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A general view of Brazil's National Congress during sunset in Brasilia, Brazil, June 11, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

A crash between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday killed 30 people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil, officials said.

The Minas Gerais fire department, which responded to the scene, said 13 others were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.

Authorities said the bus blew a tire, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a truck. A car with three passengers also collided with the bus, but all three survived, according to the fire department, The AP reported.

Rescue teams are working on the accident site and there are still more victims to be removed, said Lt. Alonso of the fire department.

Gov. Romeu Zema wrote on X that he ordered “full mobilization” of the Minas Gerais government to assist the victims.

“We are working to ensure that families of the victims are supported to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Zema said.

In 2024, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

In September, a bus carrying a football team flipped on a road and killed three people. The Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, was headed to a game in Rio de Janeiro, where they were set to play in the country’s American football championship. The game was canceled following the deadly accident.