Weather hampers Afghan flood aid

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Bad weather in Afghanistan is hampering the delivery of aid supplies to Badghis province in the west where at least 52 people have been killed in floods.

Trucks carrying supplies were stuck on muddy roads and Nato helicopters could not fly because of the bad weather, an Afghan official said.

Officials in Badghis province say an estimated 100 people are still missing, three days after floods hit the area.

The Afghan government has appealed for international aid for the remote area.

"Those districts need urgent help from the international community, otherwise there will be a humanitarian crisis," Habibullah Murghabi, the head of a government emergency disaster committee, told Associated Press news agency.

United Nations agencies have appealed for funds to buy food aid for millions of Afghans who face shortages this winter.

Thursday's flooding washed away several villages and destroyed thousands of homes along the Murghab river, officials said.

At least 52 people have been killed and dozens more declared missing around the remote town of Balamurghab in Badghis province.

The heavy rains, which mark the onset of winter, follow months of drought in the west and south of the country that reportedly forced hundreds of families to abandon their land.