Storms, heavy rain kill 14 across Afghanistan

Severe storms and a rain-triggered landslide have killed at least 14 people across Afghanistan, officials said, with residents facing further risks on Thursday as heavy snow hit the country.

Strong wind and heavy rain in Kandahar killed six children on Wednesday, damaging homes and causing significant financial losses in several districts, the emergency department in the southern province said.

An avalanche also killed one person in Parwan province, west of the capital Kabul.

In total, "owing to the snow and rain, 11 people" were killed across six provinces in the country's north, centre and south, including the Kandahar and Parwan incidents, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Authority told AFP.

In a separate incident in eastern Nuristan province, a landslide triggered by heavy rain struck a house in Quraish village on Wednesday, killing three members of the same family and injuring two others.

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"Two 10-year-old girls and a teenage boy were killed," Nuristan provincial government spokesman Fraidoon Samim told AFP.

In central Ghazni province, an AFP correspondent said that around 80 centimetres (31 inches) of snow fell over the past 24 hours, forcing the closure of markets and blocking roads.

Heavy snow in many provinces and Kabul has also caused traffic accidents.

Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly floods, landslides and storms, particularly in remote areas with fragile infrastructure, leaving communities vulnerable to extreme weather.

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