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River Ferry Sinks in Afghanistan, Killing at Least 20

Members of a rescue team search for missing persons in the Kokcha river following flash floods after heavy rainfall, on the outskirts Fayzabad in Badakhshan province on May 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of a rescue team search for missing persons in the Kokcha river following flash floods after heavy rainfall, on the outskirts Fayzabad in Badakhshan province on May 26, 2024. (AFP)
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River Ferry Sinks in Afghanistan, Killing at Least 20

Members of a rescue team search for missing persons in the Kokcha river following flash floods after heavy rainfall, on the outskirts Fayzabad in Badakhshan province on May 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of a rescue team search for missing persons in the Kokcha river following flash floods after heavy rainfall, on the outskirts Fayzabad in Badakhshan province on May 26, 2024. (AFP)

At least 20 people were killed when a boat sank while crossing a river in eastern Afghanistan Saturday morning, a Taliban official said.

Quraishi Badlon, provincial director of the information and culture department in Nangarhar province, said that the boat sank while crossing a river in Mohmand Dara district, killing 20 people including women and children.

Badlon said that the boat was carrying 25 people, according to village residents, of whom five survived.

So far five bodies have been retrieved including a man, a woman, two boys and a girl, said the Nangarhar health department in a statement. It added that a medical team and ambulances were sent to the area.

The officials didn’t provide details on the cause of the accident and said that rescuers are still searching for other bodies.

Residents of the area frequently use locally made boats to travel between villages and local markets.

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At Least 148 Are Dead in Floods and Landslides in Nepal

Residents clean mud outside their houses in a flood-affected area following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
Residents clean mud outside their houses in a flood-affected area following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
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At Least 148 Are Dead in Floods and Landslides in Nepal

Residents clean mud outside their houses in a flood-affected area following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
Residents clean mud outside their houses in a flood-affected area following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu on September 29, 2024. (AFP)

Rescuers in Nepal recovered dozens of bodies from buses and other vehicles that were buried in landslides near the capital Kathmandu, as the death toll from flooding rose to at least 148 with dozens missing, officials said Sunday.

The weather improved on Sunday following three days of monsoon rains, and rescue and clean-up efforts were underway. Kathmandu remained cut off Sunday as three highways out of the city were blocked by landslides.

Rescuers retrieved 14 bodies overnight from two buses that were headed to Kathmandu when a landslide buried them. Another 23 bodies were dug out from vehicles Sunday on the same spot, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Kathmandu, and workers searched for others who may have been buried.

A statement by the Nepal police said another 101 people were injured in the flooding and landslides while 50 are missing. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from villages across the mountainous country.

Residents in the southern part of Kathmandu, which was inundated on Saturday, were cleaning up houses as water levels began to recede. At least 34 people were killed in Kathmandu, which was the hardest hit by flooding.

Police and soldiers were assisting with rescue efforts, while heavy equipment was used to clear the landslides from the roads. The government announced it was closing schools and colleges across Nepal for the next three days.

The monsoon season began in June and usually ends by mid-September.