At least 40 people had been killed and hundreds injured in eastern Afghanistan as of Tuesday, local officials said as heavy rains continued to pelt the region. 

Saifullah Khalid, head of Nangarhar province's disaster management authority, said that 350 people were wounded and some 400 homes had also been demolished by the torrent.

Many of the injured were brought to the regional hospital in Nangarhar from Jalalabad, the capital of the province which was suffering from electricity blackouts and impassable roads due to the storms.

The latest tragedy comes after flash floods in May killed hundreds of people and destroyed huge areas of agricultural land where 80% of the population relies on farming to sustain themselves.

Compounding the issues in Afghanistan is the lack of foreign aid agencies' presence on the ground. Many organizations left the country due to the instability that has arisen since the Taliban violently took back control in 2021.

Scientists have also warned that Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, is set to be particularly affected by the disastrous impact of climate change — with extreme weather becoming more common. 

es/rmt (AFP, AP)