Deadly floods leave 82 dead across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

At least 82 people have died after heavy rains across northeastern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan ​this week, authorities said, as flooding caused widespread damage to farmland, infrastructure ‌and public facilities.

At least 10 people have died in floods in India's northeastern state of Assam over the last 24 hours, in what authorities said ​was "unprecedented devastation", taking the total death toll during the week ​to 36.

More than 650,000 people have been affected by heavy ⁠rainfall across 11 districts of Assam, the state's disaster management authority ​said in a bulletin on Wednesday.

The floods in Assam were primarily ​caused by very heavy rainfall in its neighbouring state of Nagaland between July 18 and 20, resulting in unusually high river flows, a state government report said.

Assam, ​home to the Brahmaputra, one of the world's largest rivers, sees ​damage from the increased flow of water nearly every year during monsoons.

At least ‌46 ⁠people have been killed and at least 100 injured in floods across Afghanistan's northeastern province of Nuristan and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the last 72 hours, disaster management authorities in both countries said.

"The floods ​swept away houses ​and hotels. ⁠Everything is gone. It is complete devastation. Machinery is being used to rescue those who are still ​trapped," Mujib ur Rahman, a resident of Nuristan's provincial ​capital, told ⁠Reuters.

Despite contributing little to global emissions, Afghanistan and Pakistan are among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with intensifying floods, droughts, glacier ⁠melt and ​water shortages putting millions at risk, experts ​say.

-Reuters