Rescue efforts on after landslide in Afghanistan

KABUL: Rescue teams on Tuesday reached the remote valley where a landslide buried dozens of people in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial official said, after responders were slowed by snow and blocked roads.

Snowfall overnight on Sunday caused rubble, earth and snow to rip through the village of Nakre in mountainous Nuristan province, killing at least 25 people.

“There were no facilities yesterday but today there is the military’s equipment,” said provincial information and culture head Jamiullah Hashimi. “The rescue operation might speed up. The biggest problem is that the fallen rocks are huge and the area is mountainous,” he said.

Images on social media showed dozens of men standing between giant fallen boulders, using their bare hands to remove rocks and dig out piled earth. Ministry spokesman Janan Sayeq said his ministry, the public works ministry and NGOs had reached the area with medical teams and other equipment.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2024