Afghanistan: Flash Floods - Sep 1992

On 3 September 1992, early in the morning, flash floods hit the Afghan Hindukush mountains. Torrents of mud and bolders crashed down three river valleys. The tidal wave was reported to be up 9 metres (30 ft) high affecting a stretch of 30 km along the Salang, Ghorband and Shutul valleys. The town of Gulbahar, 75 km north of Kabul, at the junction of Panjsher and Shutul rivers was hit.

Preliminary reports from unofficial sources indicate over 450 dead, 500 missing, hundreds of houses swept away, and crops and irrigation channels destroyed. Many displaced persons from war zones and returnees were living in the areas. (UN DHA, 4 Sep 1992)