AVA - Official: Nearly 700 people died in natural disasters in Afghanistan

Almost 700 people died and hundreds more were injured due to natural disasters throughout the country. Officials from the State Ministry for Disaster Management said.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)_Monitoring, “In the past year until now, we have more than 700 wounded and almost 700 martyrs, and more than 20,000 houses have been completely and partially destroyed,” said Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the ministry.

The officials said that the organization has analyzed natural hazards up to district level, and that 20 provinces have been found to be at risk of floods and four provinces at risk of landslides.

The ministry has implemented about 120 small emergency and prevention projects and has also investigated and evaluated the vulnerable points against the dangers of natural disasters in 11 provinces of the country, officials said.

According to statistics, the ministry distributed 160 million AFN to the heirs of the martyrs and the injured in the recent earthquakes in Paktika and Khost provinces.

The officials also added that last year, 25,293 residential houses in different provinces of the country, destroyed by earthquakes and floods, have been rebuilt.

In addition, the officials pointed out that in the past year, 252 IED explosions were reported, causing the death of 180 people. In addition, 310 others were injured.

According to them, 65 sq km in the country have been cleared of mines or marked.