Flash floods in northern Afghanistan have killed more than 180 people and displaced thousands after days of torrential rain, officials say.
The floodwaters swept through villages and fields, engulfing thousands of homes and leaving many people seeking safety on the roofs of their mud-brick houses.
According to the national disaster management authority, fatalities are from Jowzjan province, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Badghis provinces of Afghanistan. Authorities in one of the country's hardest hit regions of Jawzjan said the death toll was expected to rise further.
"Rescue helicopters have evacuated some 200 people, but many people are still trapped on roofs of their homes and some are also missing," Jawzjan provincial police chief Faqir Mohammad Jowzjani told the AFP news agency.
The head of the disaster relief committee in Jawzjan province, said more than 5,000 people had been displaced and there were shortages of medicine and water after heavy rain and storms swept through two districts of the region on Thursday night.
Food and other emergency supplies have been send to the disaster area. Afghanistan Nationwide Ulema Council (ANUC) has requested National Disasters Management Authority (NDMA), Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) and other local and international institutions to provide immediate disaster relief materials.
Flash floods are common in Afghanistan. At least 21 provinces in Afghanistan are vulnerable to floods.
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