Flash floods in southern Afghanistan leave at least 20 dead

At least 20 people including a number of children have been killed in flash floods in six districts and the capital of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the UN said late Saturday.

The victims were killed when their homes collapsed or the vehicles they were travelling in were swept away, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

At least 10 people from five districts were still missing, OCHA said.

An estimated 2,000 homes had been reportedly damaged across the affected districts and Kandahar city, where 600 houses had been either damaged or destroyed.

‘There is an urgent need for air support to rescue those who are trapped and to bring in immediate relief items,’ OCHA said in its report.

The governor of Kandahar's office meanwhile reported late Saturday that 12 people had been killed, 18 others including women and children injured and 1,575 houses damaged or destroyed.

Kandahar Governor Hayatullah Hayat had ordered immediate assistance to the victims, a statement from his office said.

Afghanistan has seen an increased amount of snow and rain across the country in the past several days.

Floods leave hundreds of casualties and destroy thousands of homes every year.