March 21 (Bloomberg) -- Afghanistan's central and western provinces were hit by floods caused by melting snow, forcing the U.S.-led coalition to use helicopters to rescue people, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said.

Coalition forces saved about 250 people trapped by flood waters last week near Dihrawud in the central province of Uruzgan, Ariane Quentier, a spokeswoman for the Assistance Mission, told a briefing in Kabul yesterday, according to the UN Web site.

More than 115 people may have died and thousands have been left homeless since March 18, Agence France-Presse cited Jan Mohammad, Uruzgan's provincial governor, as saying yesterday. At least 76 people died in the western province of Farah, Assadullah Falah, the region's governor, told AFP yesterday.

Afghanistan had its heaviest snowfalls in a decade last month that resulted in the deaths at least 580 people from avalanches and diseases such as flu, AFP reported at the time. Aid agencies last month began preparing for possible flooding, as snows melt, by bringing extra food supplies into provinces, the UN mission said at the time.

The World Food Program in recent days airlifted food into Uruzgan, Quentier said yesterday, according to the UN. Areas of Jawzjan province in the north and Paktia in the east were also hit by floods, she said.

Radio Broadcasts

The Afghan government is using public and private radio stations and some television broadcasters to alert people about potential flooding.

``The messages are broadcast in both Dari and Pashtu and provide easy-to-understand advice on flood preparedness and what to do in the event of flooding,' Quentier said. ``They urge people to look out for danger signs such as heavy rainfall or the discoloration of river waters.''

The floods have killed thousands of livestock, AFP cited the Interior Ministry as saying yesterday.

Two decades of civil war and drought in Afghanistan devastated the country and produced the world's largest refugee population of 3.5 million people, most of whom fled to Pakistan and Iran. The country is ranked 173 out of 178 nations on the UN Development Program's 2004 Human Development Index with only a few in Africa's sub-Saharan region listed lower, the agency said last month. Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 44.5 years, at least 20 years lower than in neighboring countries.

The country is recovering after the ousting of the Taliban regime in December 2001 in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. Hamid Karzai, who led the interim government that replaced the Taliban, won the first direct presidential election in October.

Karzai, 46, said last week that parliamentary elections will be held in September. The polls had to be delayed from May because issues such as refugee participation and creating electoral boundaries still have to be settled, Karzai said.

The election will be held on Sept. 18, Bismillah Bismil, head of the Afghan Election Commission, said yesterday, AFP reported from the Afghan capital.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 20, 2005 18:21 EST