Powerful flood waters dislocated thousands of large rocks that caused major injuries and destroyed entire homes.(AP: Rahmat Gul)

Rescuers in Afghanistan have continued to search amidst mud and rubble for missing people after flash flooding this week killed around 160 people and washed away homes across the country.

Key points:

• Several children were among the dead and some of the injured are in a critical condition
• The worst-affected areas were mostly poor rural farming villages
• More than 2,000 houses were destroyed in Parwan

Thirteen provinces, mostly in the country's north, had been affected by floods, according to the Ministry for Disaster Management.

In Parwan, just north of the capital Kabul, 116 people had been killed and more than 120 injured, with 15 people still missing, national and local officials said.

"Rescue teams are still in the area and searching for the missing bodies," said Wahida Shahkar, a spokeswoman for Parwan's governor.

Flash flooding hit Parwan early on Wednesday, washing away homes and buildings.

The Health Ministry said the local hospital was partially destroyed and many of the injured were being transferred to the capital Kabul.

The head of the provincial hospital, Abdul Qasim Sangin, said a corpse was being delivered to the hospital every 30 minutes to an hour.

He said several children were among the dead and some of the injured are in critical condition.

Police were appealing for donations of blood for the many injured.(AP: Rahmat Gul)

Local police spokesman Salim Noori said the community in the worst-affected areas were mostly farmers and informal workers who were already struggling financially and that police were appealing for donations of blood for the many injured.

The Ministry of Defence said that Afghan security forces were assisting in recovery efforts and distributing aid. The forces have also been dealing with rising violence from the insurgent Taliban as the start of peace talks in Doha hit delays.

NATO said that its forces were also supporting the Afghan military and had flown food, water and blankets to the area earlier in the week.

'Only I am alive'

People were seen digging out their belongings from houses partially or completely filled with mud.(AP: Rahmat Gul)

Powerful floodwaters in the mountainous province dislocated thousands of large rocks that caused major injuries and destroyed entire homes, burying people under the rubble, officials said.

Mohammad Qasim Haidari, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister for Disaster Management, said the casualty toll may rise as rescue teams and volunteers were still working to locate people buried under destroyed houses.

Hamid Agha, 50, a Charikar resident, said he lost all his family members to the flood except two sons who are truck drivers and were delivering goods in another province.

Mr Agha was able to pull himself out of the rising waters but was unable to save his family.

"Out of 11 family members in the house only I am alive," he said.

"We buried six bodies but four others are still missing."

Afghan security forces were assisting in recovery efforts and distributing aid.(AP: Rahmat Gul)

People were seen digging out their belongings, including blankets, clothes, mattresses and pillows, from houses partially or completely filled with mud.

Ahmad Tameem Azimi, spokesman of the disaster management ministry, said more than 2,000 houses were destroyed in Parwan.

Mr Azimi, said hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed, with the heavy rain wiping out all the crops in 13 provinces.