Afghan officials say 13 killed in floods

Kabul: Afghan officials say at least 13 people have been killed in flash floods that hit northern Afghanistan.

The police chief of Balkh province, Shir Jan Durani, said today that the flooding took place in the remote districts of Kishindih, Sholgara and Nahri Shai. He says five people are missing. The flooding late Tuesday also damaged many homes and livestock drowned. Many homes in rural Afghanistan are built of mud or stone and are easily washed away by flooding. Rahmatullah Zahid, a local official in Balkh province, says seven people died in Sholgara and at least six in Kishindih. Northern Afghanistan has experienced an unusually wet winter, with heavy snowfalls and rains. Dozens of people died of flooding last spring in northern Afghanistan. PTI