As Many as Two Thousand Missing After Afghanistan Landslide
Landslides triggered by heavy rain have buried homes in northeastern Afghanistan, with as many as two-thousand people missing with many feared dead.
“There were more than 1,000 families living in that village. A total of 2,100 people - men, women and children - are trapped,” Naweed Forotan, a spokesman for the Badakhshan governor, told Reuters.
National Disaster Management Authority chief Daim Kakar told VOA's Afghanistan Service on Friday that work is underway to rescue people in the Argo district of Badakhshan province. Hundreds of homes have been buried in mud.
Photo Gallery:
Survivors of the Afghan Landslides Wait for Aid
Helicopters and relief teams have been dispatched to help in the rescue.
Villagers were attempting to recover their possessions after a smaller landslide crashed into the village. No one was hurt in the first slide, officials said. The second deadly slide struck a few hours later.
Several hundred people have evacuated from the area for fear of additional landslides.
Heavy rain is taking its toll on Afghanistan. Last week, floods killed at least 95 people in Jawzjan, Faryab, Sar-i-pul and Badghis provinces.
This report contains additonal material provided by the Reuters news agency
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