Flood Deaths Exceed 400 in Afghanistan and Pakistan

More than 400 people have been killed and 400,000 displaced due to floods caused by heavy rainfall in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Most died in north-western regions of Pakistan, while across the border in Afghanistan at least 60 people were killed.

In Pakistan several rivers burst their banks, washing away whole villages of simple mud-brick houses, roads and bridges.

Power supplies have also been cut off in some parts of Pakistan.

Pakistani officials said the floods are the worst the region has experienced in more than 80 years, and further rain is predicted.

Rescue workers and troops were struggling on Saturday to reach the hundreds of thousands of people in north-west Pakistan who have been left homeless by heavy floods, but the number of victims continues to grow as water levels rise.

In Afghanistan's south-eastern Khost province and the eastern province of Laghman, the Afghan National Army has been assisting some people, but locals are saying much more help is needed.

However the rural mountainous terrain, a lack of good roads and the fact the Taliban is still active in the affected areas are hampering security efforts.

Much of the arable land and crops on which the locals rely have also been destroyed.