Heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 82 people across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan this week, with widespread flooding causing extensive damage to homes, farmland and public infrastructure, according to disaster management authorities.
In India's northeastern state of Assam, at least 36 people have died during the week, including 10 fatalities in the past 24 hours, as severe flooding inundated large parts of the state.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, more than 650,000 people have been affected across 11 districts.
Officials said exceptionally heavy rainfall in neighbouring Nagaland between July 18 and July 20 triggered unusually high river flows, worsening flooding in Assam, which experiences annual monsoon flooding due to the Brahmaputra River.
Pakistan, Afghanistan report 46 deaths
In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Afghanistan's Nuristan province, authorities reported 46 deaths and at least 100 injuries over the past 72 hours.
Floodwaters swept away homes, hotels and other structures, while rescue teams continued searching for people trapped by the rising waters.
"The floods swept away houses and hotels. Everything is gone. It is complete devastation," Nuristan resident Mujib ur Rahman told Reuters.
Emergency responders are using heavy machinery to reach isolated communities and clear debris left by the floods.
Climate vulnerability
Experts say Pakistan and Afghanistan remain among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The region has experienced increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including devastating floods, prolonged droughts, accelerated glacier melt and worsening water shortages, placing millions of people at risk.
Authorities in all three countries continue relief and rescue operations as forecasters warn that further rainfall could worsen flooding in the coming days.
