Devastating Rains and Bus Tragedy Hit Afghanistan

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people and injuries to nearly 350 others. Additionally, a bus accident on a main highway caused 17 more fatalities. The storms and subsequent damage have severely affected Nangarhar province, with hundreds of houses and infrastructure destroyed.

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 350 others, Taliban officials said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, at least 17 individuals died in a bus accident on a main highway, according to official media reports.

Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry, confirmed that 40 people were killed in Monday's storm. The injured, totaling 347, were brought to the regional hospital in Nangarhar from Jalalabad, the province's capital, and nearby districts.

Among the deceased were five members of a single family, killed when the roof of their home collapsed in Surkh Rod district, stated provincial spokesperson Sediqullah Quraishi. Four other family members sustained injuries.

Quraishi added that about 400 houses and 60 electricity poles were destroyed across Nangarhar province. Power outages and limited communication were reported in Jalalabad. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Resident Abdul Wali, 43, remarked that much of the destruction occurred within an hour due to severe winds followed by heavy rain. He mentioned that his 4-year-old daughter sustained minor injuries.

In May, exceptionally heavy rains had already claimed over 300 lives and destroyed thousands of houses, primarily in the northern province of Baghlan, as reported by the World Food Program.

Additionally, the Taliban's official news agency Bakhtar reported that at least 17 people died and 34 were injured when a bus overturned on the main highway linking Kabul and Balkh in northern Baghlan province on Tuesday morning.

The cause of the accident remains unknown, but poor road conditions and reckless driving are frequent culprits in such incidents within the country.