HUGE LANDSLIDE LEAVES OVER 240 DEAD, TRAPS 200

Kabul, 4 Rajab 1435/3 May 2014 (MINA) – The Afghan authorities say more than 240 people have died and over 200 others trapped following a massive landslide in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan Province.

Around 2,500 people are trapped after a massive landslide in northern Afghanistan, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance of Afghanistan said late Friday, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The directorate said in a statement that heavy rain over the last few days in the province of Badakhshan caused the landslide in the Aab Barik village in the Argoy district and had also closed the main highway that connects Takhar province with Badakhshan.

Approximately 300 houses have been consumed by the landslide the statement added and at least 700 more families have evacuated the area due to the danger of more landslides.

The directorate passed on their condolences and assured the people of Badakhshan that they are trying their best to co-ordinate the rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, Dawlat Waziri, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of defense, told Anadolu Agency that a unit of the Afghan National Army had arrived in the village to help with the search and rescue.

The Friday mudslide destroyed almost the entire village of Ab-e-Khoshk in the Argu district, said Badakhshan Province police chief, Fazluddin Ayyar.

“Reports say that about 250 people including women and children have gone missing and the locals say all of them have died,” the official added.

Approximately 200 houses and large areas of farmland were destroyed during the mudslide, which was triggered by heavy rain.

“Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area and are trying to evacuate the survivors,” Ayyar added.

The mudslide was triggered by days of heavy raining and flash floods in Afghanistan’s northern regions.

Several days of heavy rainfall have hit four provinces in northern Afghanistan, forcing tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.

Nearly 150 people have died as a result of the flood-related incidents over the past week.

The international charity Save the Children estimates that 40,000 people, 25,000 of whom are children, have been affected by the incident.

Many homes in rural areas of Afghanistan are reportedly built of mud or stones, and are easily washed away by flooding.

Landlocked Afghanistan with its rugged terrain is highly vulnerable to various kinds of natural disasters, which adversely impact the lives of thousands of people every year, according to international aid agencies. (T/P04/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)