Airplanes loaded with food, tents and other emergency supplies rushed to northern Afghanistan on Saturday after floods left dozens dead and thousands homeless, officials said. About 700 homes and several roads have been washed away in the floods over the past four days, said Abdul Majid, the governor of Badakhshan province, which was worst hit. The exact death toll was not known. Majid said at least 25 people were believed killed in Badakhshan. An official with a government disaster management team in Kabul, Abdul Hamid, said the province's toll was thought to be 36, while more than 50 were estimated to have died across all of northern Afghanistan. He said officials in two helicopters had flown over the region on Friday, but that the extent of the damage was still not clear. Two planes loaded with relief aid flew to the region on Saturday and additional aircraft would join the airlift in the next few days, Hamid said. "We are in need of emergency help. We need 4,000 blankets, 1,000 tents and lots of food," Majid told The Associated Press. He said heavy rains had pounded the region over the past four days and low-lying areas have been flooded by water running off mountains.
