Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

AFGHANISTAN

Landslide kills hundreds of villagers

A landslide triggered by heavy rain buried large sections of a remote northeastern Afghan village Friday, killing at least 350 people and leaving more than 2,000 missing. Villagers looked on helplessly, and the governor appealed for shovels to help dig through the mass of mud that flattened every home in its path.

The mountainous area in Badakhshan province has experienced days of heavy rain and flooding, and the side of a cliff collapsed onto the village of Hobo Barik around midday.

Gov. Shah Waliullah Adeeb said that more than 2,000 people were missing after the landslide buried some 300 homes - about a third of all the houses in the area.

At least 350 people were confirmed dead, according to Ari Gaitanis, a spokesman from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. - AP