47 Dead in Heavy Rain, Floods in Northern Afghanistan

People remove debris from a house damaged by the flood in Firozkoh the capital city of Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
People remove debris from a house damaged by the flood in Firozkoh the capital city of Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
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47 Dead in Heavy Rain, Floods in Northern Afghanistan

People remove debris from a house damaged by the flood in Firozkoh the capital city of Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
People remove debris from a house damaged by the flood in Firozkoh the capital city of Ghor Province, Afghanistan, May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

At least 47 people have died after continued heavy rain and flooding in northern Afghanistan, an official said on Sunday, a day after a similar number were killed in a central province.
Shamsudden Mohammedi, head of the information department for Faryab province in the north, told Reuters at least 300 hundred houses were destroyed, based on initial reports.
On Saturday, at least 50 died in the central province of Ghor, said Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, the head of the province's information department.
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters, and the United Nations considers it one of countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Last week, flash floods caused by heavy rains devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday.
On Wednesday, a helicopter used by the Afghan air force crashed due to "technical issues" during attempts to recover the bodies of people who had fallen into a river in Ghor province, killing one and injuring 12, the defense ministry said.



Russian Cargo Ship Which Sank off Spanish Coast Was Victim of ‘Act of Terrorism,’ RIA Cites Owner

In this handout image released by the Portuguese Navy on December 22, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major is watched during a monitoring operation conducted by the Portuguese Navy along the Continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Portugal. (Handout / Portuguese Navy / AFP)
In this handout image released by the Portuguese Navy on December 22, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major is watched during a monitoring operation conducted by the Portuguese Navy along the Continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Portugal. (Handout / Portuguese Navy / AFP)
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Russian Cargo Ship Which Sank off Spanish Coast Was Victim of ‘Act of Terrorism,’ RIA Cites Owner

In this handout image released by the Portuguese Navy on December 22, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major is watched during a monitoring operation conducted by the Portuguese Navy along the Continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Portugal. (Handout / Portuguese Navy / AFP)
In this handout image released by the Portuguese Navy on December 22, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major is watched during a monitoring operation conducted by the Portuguese Navy along the Continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Portugal. (Handout / Portuguese Navy / AFP)

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major which sank in the Mediterranean Sea was the victim of "an act of terrorism," state news agency RIA cited the vessel's owner as saying on Wednesday.

The ship, built in 2009, sank after an explosion ripped through its engine room and two of its 16 crew were missing, the Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

RIA cited Oboronlogistika, the ship's ultimate owner and a company that is part of the Russian Defense Ministry's military construction operations, as saying the vessel had been targeted in "a terrorist act."

Oboronlogistika had previously said that the ship had been en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.