Afghanistan Landslides: 2,100 Confirmed Dead With Over 300 Houses Wiped Out So Far
Hundreds and thousands of people are feared dead following deep, devastating landslides Friday in a remote, mountainous part of far northeastern Afghanistan.
By Sadho Ram — 04 May 2014, 01:14 AM — Updated over 10 years ago
On Friday, 2 May 2014, Two Massive Landslides Struck A Remote North-East Afghan Province Of Badakhshan
Hundreds of homes were buried on Friday when a section of a mountain collapsed following torrential rain.
Image via BBCHundreds of people are feared dead following deep, devastating landslides Friday in a remote, mountainous part of far northeastern Afghanistan, a provincial governor said. A landslide crashed down around noon in an area with some 300 homes in the district of Argo in Badakhshan province, the area's governor, Shah Waliullah Adeeb, said. Citing reports from tribal elders and district council members he added that a wedding ceremony was taking place in that area at the time.
cnn.comUN Reported About 350 People Were Killed Instantly. But More Than 24 Hours Later, There Were Conflicting Reports That Said 2,100 People Are Confirmed Dead.
A spokesman for the provincial governor told several media outlets Saturday that 2,100 people were missing and presumed dead. Other provincial leaders stressed the likelihood that the figure was too high but said the precise tallies of dead and missing may not be known for weeks, if ever.
theguardian.com
PHOTO: An Afghan Villager Weeps In Field Of Mud From The Massive Mudslides
In Response, Villagers And A Few Dozen Police, Equipped With Only Basic Digging Tools, Started The Search When Daylight Broke On Saturday
Close to 600 people from a nearby village then came to help dig people out when a new landslide struck. "People from surrounding districts of Badakhshan and Takharhave rushed to the area to help with the rescue," Colonel Abdul Qadeer Sayad, a deputy police chief of Badakhshan, told Reuters.
cnn.comAbout 1,000 houses were affected - 300 of them buried immediately after the side of a mountain gave way. As it was Friday morning, a day of rest in Afghanistan, people were at home and whole families were lost under tonnes of mud.
The Afghan Military Flew Rescue Teams To The Area Because The Remote Mountainous Region Is Accessed By Narrow Roads That Have Been Damaged By More Than A Week Of Heavy Rain
Much of the clearing work is being done by hand and shovels, although an excavator was also at the scene
Image via BBC“We have managed to get one excavator into the area, but digging looks helpless,” Sayad said. “It is impossible to find signs of living creatures or houses in most parts of the affected area.” The sheer size of the affected area, and the depth of the mud, meant only modern machinery could help in the rescue, he said.
theguardian.com
The Landslides Are The Latest In A String Of Deadly Disasters In Afghanistan, A Country Already Struggling With Terrorism, Poverty And An Uncertain Future
Dead bodies of Afghan people are lined up after a massive landslide in Badakhshan province
Image via APOver the past 10 days, Afghanistan has endured severe flash flooding, an earthquake and a coal-mine explosion that killed 20 miners. Now, Friday’s landslide threatens to become one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in at least a decade.
The mud slide followed several days of heavy rain in Badakhshan’s Argo district, a remote area that includes the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges. Many of the houses are made of mud, stone and straw, and the landslide struck without warning, officials said, instantly encasing about 350 homes. As rescuers from neighboring villages arrived on the scene, a second slide occurred, killing nearly all of the first responders, said Mohammed Zekaria, a legislator from the area.
dailymail.co.uk
US President Barack Obama, Speaking At A White House News Conference Expressed His Sympathy For The Afghan People Affected By The Landslides
“Just as the United States has stood with the people of Afghanistan through a difficult decade, we stand ready to help our Afghan partners as they respond to this disaster, for even as our war there comes to an end this year, our commitment to Afghanistan and its people will endure,” he said.
It Is One Of The Poorest Regions In One Of The Poorest Countries, And It Could Be Weeks Before The Full Extent Of The Catastrophe Is Known, Reports BBC
Hundreds of homes were buried under mud and rocks, leaving thousands of people without shelter
Image via BBCBadakhshan in north-eastern Afghanistan is a mountainous province with remote and rustic districts. Every year, avalanches and mudslides affect communities there. But the mudslide in Hargu surprised many. With more than 500 homes buried, villagers worked overnight hoping they could rescue some of those trapped under the mud.
With the likelihood of survivors fading, efforts are focused on bringing supplies to the displaced
Image via BBC