At least 20 people have been killed and more than 100 remain missing after flash floods swept through northeastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, Taliban authorities said on Monday.
The Taliban-run National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said at least 80 people were also injured in the flooding, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
Most of the devastation was reported in Parun, the capital of Nuristan province, where floodwaters caused widespread destruction.
Taliban officials said search and rescue teams had been deployed to the remote mountainous province, located along the Afghan-Pakistan border, to locate missing residents and assist those affected.
The disaster management authority warned of "severe financial and human losses" as emergency workers continued relief efforts.
Afghanistan remains one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Experts say rising temperatures have intensified extreme weather patterns, leaving some regions more prone to prolonged drought while exposing others to heavier rainfall and destructive flash floods.
Environmental degradation has also worsened the situation. Deforestation in Nuristan and other parts of Afghanistan has reduced the land's ability to absorb rainwater, increasing the frequency and severity of flash floods.
Authorities have not yet released details on the full extent of property damage, while rescue operations are expected to continue through the night.
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