Devastating flash floods tore through Parun, the capital of Afghanistan's remote Nuristan province, sending massive walls of mud, rocks, and debris crashing through the town and leveling homes, bridges, and government buildings. Video from the scene shows powerful muddy torrents surging through the streets, slamming into structures including a local hotel and sweeping away everything in their path. Triggered by heavy monsoon rainfall, the disaster has so far claimed at least 20 lives, left around 80 people injured, and left more than 100 others missing, including the town's mayor and several government employees, according to provincial officials.

The flooding has left a trail of destruction across Parun, wiping out the central market, the municipality building, telecom offices, and numerous residential homes, with estimated losses reaching approximately $35 million. Local officials say the town's remote, mountainous terrain is severely complicating rescue and recovery operations, as search teams work without heavy equipment to dig through boulders and debris left behind by the floodwaters. Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority confirmed the scale of the destruction, describing it as a case of severe financial and human loss, while cautioning that final casualty figures will depend on the completion of ongoing damage assessments.

The Afghan Red Crescent and provincial disaster officials have mobilized to the affected area to deliver aid and support search-and-rescue operations, though the scale of destruction and the region's isolation continue to hamper efforts to reach survivors. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered condolences to victims' families and urged authorities to accelerate the search for the missing. With the death toll expected to rise as search teams comb through the wreckage, Nuristan now faces a long and difficult recovery in one of the country's most inaccessible regions.