In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the death toll from storms has risen to at least 137 in recent days. As the disaster management agency in Pakistan announced, at least 67 people have died due to unusually heavy rains for this time of year. A state of emergency has now been declared in the megacity of Karachi in the south of the country due to further severe weather forecasts. According to authorities, at least 70 people have died and 56 people have been injured in Afghanistan after heavy rainfall triggered floods. More than 2,600 houses were damaged.
There have also been storms in neighboring Iran in recent days, particularly affecting the southeastern province of Sistan and Balochistan. According to the state news agency Irna, floods and heavy rain caused property damage there amounting to the equivalent of around 25.7 million euros. A dam in the economically weaker province also overflowed after heavy rain. Villages were evacuated.
In recent months there have been deaths and injuries in Afghanistan after heavy snow and rain that followed an unusually mild winter. Extreme weather events such as floods and droughts are increasing in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. Experts blame the climate crisis for this. After decades of wars and conflicts, Afghanistan has little means of mitigating the consequences of climate change.
