Flash flood in N Afghanistan kills 27

A flash flood swept through villages in a mountainous area of northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 27 people, authorities said. It was the second major flood reported this week in the north. Abdul Jabar Taqwa, the governor of Takhar province, said flood waters broke through a dam early Friday, washed down a valley and damaged several villages in Ishkamish district. "It was a very powerful flood. It hit around midnight," Taqwa said. "Dozens of villages have been hit. I'm worried that the death toll will go up." Rescuers have been trying to reach the site, but vehicles can only be driven to within a six-hour walk of the area, he said. "It is a disaster," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough aid. The only way to access the area is by helicopter." On May 6, another flash flood swept through Dhy Marda village in Sari Pul province, killing 21 people, many of them members of a wedding party. Sayed Jahangir Kramat, the deputy police chief for the province, said about 45 homes were destroyed and another 150 were damaged in that flood as heavy rains caused floodwaters to rush down the mountains. Other minor flooding earlier this week in two other districts of Sari Pul province killed three people.