Afghan dam burst wipes out hundreds of houses

The US military sent Black Hawk helicopters to help with rescue operations after the Bandi Sultan dam burst and swamped Ghazni city, 150km south of Kabul, and the surrounding area.

"We have reports of at least six people who have died in floods," Ghazni province governor Asadullah Khalid told AFP, adding that it was impossible to confirm exact casualties because roads to the affected region were flooded.

"The damage due to the flood is huge. Hundreds of shops have been destroyed in the city of Ghazni, thousands of hectares of agricultural land has been washed away and hundreds of livestock have died," he added.

Aid workers were installing a camp to house 100 families displaced by the rising waters, Mohammed Ghaus Awlia, head of the Afghan Red Cresent Society told AFP.