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Floods and earthquake kill at least 24 in Afghanistan | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
At least 24 people have been killed after flash floods and an earthquake hit Afghanistan. | |
Torrential rain brought down buildings and left at least 14 dead in the northern province of Balkh. | |
The provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar, on the country's eastern border with Pakistan, were worst affected by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. | |
At least 10 people were killed and many more were injured in the tremors. | |
Nine people, including a child, died in Nangarhar, according to officials and doctors. Another person is thought to have died in neighbouring Kunar. | |
'Nowhere to go' | |
Hundreds of homes collapsed during the quake, which struck at about 14:00 local time (09:23 GMT). | |
The city of Jalalabad was affected, as well as more rural areas. | |
"People have lost their homes, and have nowhere to go but spend the night in the open in the rain,'' said Malik Masoom Akhundzada, a chief tribal elder in the district of Khas Kunar. | |
The earthquake had its epicentre near the town of Mehtar Lam, about 30km (17 miles) north-west of Jalalabad, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. | |
It was also felt in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and as far away as Islamabad. | |
It comes a week after a powerful quake centred in south-eastern Iran left dozens dead in Pakistan. | |
Wednesday's floods in Balkh province also left a huge number of people homeless as more than 2,500 homes were destroyed or washed away, according to the local government. | |
Officials said Sholgara, Kishindi and Kamp-e-Sakhi in downtown Mazar-e-Sharif city were the worst affected areas. | |
The district governor of Sholgara, Sarajudin Abid, said hundreds of hectares of land had been destroyed in dozens of villages in the remote and mountainous district. | The district governor of Sholgara, Sarajudin Abid, said hundreds of hectares of land had been destroyed in dozens of villages in the remote and mountainous district. |
Livestock also died, Mr Abid added. Local villagers told the BBC that sheep, cattle and chicken were among the animals killed in the flash floods. | |
Parliament members from Balkh province have appealed for government help for the affected families. | Parliament members from Balkh province have appealed for government help for the affected families. |
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