Hundreds killed, thousands missing in Afghan landslide

At least 500 people are feared dead and up to 2000 others missing after a landslide buried a village in northern Afghanistan.

Heavy rains caused a hill to collapse on the village of Hobo Barik on Friday, Badakshan province Governor Shah Waliullah Adeeb said.

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.

Badakhshan provincial police chief, Major General Faziluddin Hayar, said rescuers pulled seven survivors and three bodies from the mounds of mud and earth but held out little hope that more survivors would be found.

“Now we can only help the displaced people. Those trapped under the landslide and who have lost lives, it is impossible to do anything for them,” Hayar said.

The Afghan army has been deployed to the area to help with rescue efforts and local authorities have evacuated nearby villages over concerns of more landslides within the area.

Badakshan province, nestled in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges and bordering China, is one of the most remote in the country.

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.

Source: THE TIMES OF EARTH and agencies