President Karzai To Visit Families Affected By Landslide In Badakhshan

President Hamid Karzai will be visiting the families affected by landslide in Argo district of northeastern Badakhshan province. He will also meet the local authorities to take stock of relief operations. Officials in Badakhshan province informed that President Karzai will hold a meeting with officials in Faizabad, center of Badakhshan, before proceeding to the affected areas. Gul Mohamamd Bedar, Deputy Governor of Badakhshan, confirmed the proposed visit of President Karzai. Last week, hundreds of houses were destroyed in a massive landslide that wreaked havoc in a small mountainous village, claiming hundreds of lives and rendering thousands of people homeless. More than 3000 people are missing, trapped under the rubble. According to local authorities, the danger has not been averted yet. The rescue operations were halted after a few days and the Afghan announced the national day of mourning for the victims of catastrophic tragedy. The shocked local residents started digging the huge mass of rubble themselves. Some government officials have drawn widespread outrage and criticism for their ‘pleasure trips’ to affected areas. Nimatullah Shahrani, Senior Advisor to President along with Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Agriculture Minister and a number of other high-profile officials, according to locals, took pictures in the area and posted on social networking blogs. In one of the pictures, the officials are seen standing on a red carpet, wearing nice clothes and flashing a smile.

Landslide In Badakhshan Afghanistan

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Gul Mohamamd Bedar, Deputy Governor of Badakhshan, confirmed the proposed visit of President Karzai. -

Afghan landslide site change to massive grave

sahar-tv.com

People watch the rescue operations in Aab Bareek, Badakhshan, Afghanistan, May 3, 2014. A massive landslide hit a village in northern Afghan Badakhshan province on Friday, causing heavy casualties, but the exact number of deaths and injuries remained unknown Saturday as officials here released contradictory numbers.

KABUL, May 3 (Xinhua)

KABUL, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The site of a massive landslide may change to a massive grave as huge rubble seemed to have made the recovering of bodies impossible, rescue officials said Saturday.

"The latest report by the provincial governor is that at least 2,000 have died in the landslides, buried under at least 10 meters of mud and debris," the UN mission in the country said.

The incident occurred in a remote village in Aab Bareek area of Argo district in the mountainous province with Faizabad city as its capital, 315 km northeast of Afghan capital of Kabul. The disaster was triggered by recent heavy rains.

The rescuers continue search efforts after nearly 24 hours but so far only three bodies were found and 12 injured were rescued, officials said.

"The immediate focus is on approximately 700 families (4,000+) displaced either directly as a result of this slide or as a precautionary measure from villages assessed to be at further risk. Key needs for them are water, medical support, counseling support, food and emergency shelter," the statement said.

The figures are based on feedback from local officials and the UN team and partners on the ground. There were about 300 homes in the village and a number of rescuers who had rushed from adjacent villages were also reported to be killed in subsequent slides, the statement said.

Badakhshan Afghanitan

sahar-tv.com

The figures are based on feedback from local officials and the UN team and partners on the ground. There were about 300 homes in the village and a number of rescuers who had rushed from adjacent villages were also reported to be killed in subsequent slides, the statement said.

"Please keep in mind that the figures will remain proximate. Fear of a third land sliding has hampered the rescue team operation," it said.

"A memorial ceremony is planned for later today and the site is expected to be designated as a mass grave. Also, the second vice president (Mohammad Karim Khalili) is visiting today," it said.

All the relevant UN agencies together with the Afghan Red Crescent Society and NGO partners are already on the ground since yesterday afternoon and all necessary resources are being mobilized for further delivery and response Saturday and over the coming days, the statement added.

More than 710 villagers died in similar incident in northern Baghlan province in early 2012.