Flash floods in Afghanistan's Nuristan kill 20, leave over 100 missing

At least 20 people were killed and about 80 injured when flash floods swept through Parun, the capital of Nuristan province in northeastern Afghanistan on July 20. More than 100 residents, including the mayor and his bodyguards, remain missing. The Taliban‑run National Disaster Management Authority said the disaster caused severe financial and human losses and launched a search‑and‑rescue operation despite damaged roads and rugged terrain. Authorities linked the flooding to intensified rainfall, deforestation and broader climate‑change impacts that make Afghanistan increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather.