KABUL: Severe storms and a rain-triggered landslide have killed at least nine children across southern and eastern Afghanistan, officials said, with residents facing further risks on Thursday as heavy snow hit the country.
Strong wind and heavy rain in Kandahar killed six children on Wednesday, and caused significant financial losses in several districts, the emergency department in the southern province said.
The storms also damaged homes, it said.
In a separate incident in eastern Nuristan province, a landslide triggered by heavy rain struck a house in Quraish village on Wednesday, killing three members of the same family and injuring two others.
“Two 10-year-old girls and a teenage boy were killed,” Nuristan provincial government spokesman Fraidoon Samim said.
In central Ghazni province, an AFP correspondent said that around 80 centimeters (31 inches) of snow fell over the past 24 hours, forcing the closure of markets and blocking roads.
Heavy snow in many provinces of Afghanistan and the capital Kabul has also caused traffic accidents.
Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly floods, landslides and storms, particularly in remote areas with fragile infrastructure, leaving communities vulnerable to extreme weather.