At least 160 dead as severe flood hits Afghanistan and Pakistan

At least 70 people are dead and dozens are injured from flooding after heavy seasonal rains drenched northern and eastern Afghanistan, while 90 have died amid similarly devastating weather in neighbouring Pakistan.

In Afghanistan, the number of victims is expected to rise as rescue teams try and locate people buried under destroyed homes, according to a spokeswoman for northern Parwan province.

Wahida Shahkar said at least 66 people had been killed and 90 were injured in her province alone.

Several children are among the dead and some of those who are injured are in a critical condition, the head of the provincial hospital, Abdul Qasim Sangin, said.

Flooding began in the central part of the province overnight following heavy rains and destroyed many homes.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Pakistan, the military said it would deploy rescue helicopters to the city of Karachi to transport some 200 families to safety after canal waters flooded the city during monsoon rains.

A total of 90 people have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since Sunday, the country's national disaster management agency said.

While heavy rain has lashed many parts of Pakistan, the southern port city of Karachi has been the hardest hit, with streets flooded with sewage water.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered aid to be delivered to Parwan and other provinces, while expressing his condolences to the victims' families.

Disaster management ministry spokesman Ahmad Tameem Azimi said flooding blocked highways to eastern and northern provinces, and that teams were working to reopen the roads to traffic.

He added that at least 300 houses were destroyed in Parwan and over a thousand people displaced, and that ground and air support sent to help those trapped by the flooding had reached the provinces.

Hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed, with rain wiping out crops in eastern Nuristan province.

Azimi said that houses and roads were also destroyed in northern Kapisa, Panjshir and eastern Paktia provinces.

Two people died and five others were also injured in eastern Maidan Wardak province after flooding destroyed several homes there.

And in Nangarhar, located in the eastern part of Afghanistan, two members of a family died and four others were injured on Wednesday when the wall of their house collapsed in flooding.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sent troops to help local authorities pump out rainwater from residential areas, as rains are expected to continue for the rest of the week in Karachi.

The Pakistani military said it would send out rescue helicopters when the weather cleared up.

Rescuers were unable to use boats to rescue the marooned families because of fast-moving floodwaters in the city's low-lying neighbourhoods.

Video footage showed parts of Karachi under water as troops tried to repair an embankment of a canal. Water started pouring out of the canal on Tuesday during heavy rainfall.

Many cities across Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, which draws criticism about poor planning.

The monsoon season runs from July to September.

(Source: Sky News)