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Landslide buries Afghan village

May 2, 2014

A landslide in northeastern Afghanistan has buried a village, leaving some 2,000 people missing. Local authorities have faced difficulties recovering bodies due to a lack of equipment in the remote province.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Bszr
Afghan villagers gather at the site of a landslide at the Argo district in Badakhshan province, May 2, 2014. More than 2,000 people are trapped after a landslide smashed into a village in a remote mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan on Friday, a spokesman for the local governor said, prompting a massive search and rescue effort. REUTERS/Stringer
Image: Reuters

Emergency rescue teams rushed to the site of a landslide which struck Afghanistan's northeastern province of Badakhshan around 1 p.m. (0900 UTC) on Friday. Heavy rains had triggered the natural disaster, which swept over at least one village. Authorities subsequently evacuated nearby populations as a precaution, according to the province's governor, Shah Waliullah Adeeb.

"Our rescue teams have so far found 150 bodies in the area, and they are working hard to save the villagers," provincial governor spokesperson Naveed Fertan.

However, the UN mission in Afghanistan, which was aiding recovery efforts, said that at least 350 people were known to have been killed in the landslide.

The governor also noted that rescue teams faced numerous difficulties in their effort, including a lack of equipment.

"It's physically impossible right now," Governor Adeeb said. "We don't have enough shovels; we need more machinery."

US President Barack Obama offered his condolences and support on Friday at the start of a press conference in Washington.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan who have experienced an awful tragedy," Obama said. "We are ready to help our Afghan partners as they respond to this disaster."

The northeastern province - which lies roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Kabul - is one of Afghanistan's most remote and shares a border with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

kms/slk (AP, AFP)