Afghan Mudslide Leaves More Than 2000 Feared Dead

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Category: World News

Published on Saturday, 03 May 2014 15:56

Written by Janet Walker

A remote Afghanistan village was deemed a mass grave after local officials reported nearly 2500 villagers were buried alive and there was no hope of finding any survivors buried alive in the catastrophic mudslide.

The townspeople, located in the northeast village of Abi Barak in Badakhshan Province, were entombed when a unprecedented avalanche, without warning, loosened from the nearby mountain and created a river of mud.

Located near the border of Pakistan, the village and all inhabitants are lost, not unlike the recent deadly avalanche on Mt. Everest, which killed 16.

Rescuers using heavy equipment soon abandoned the attempt as the fear of triggering additional mudslides caused them to use shovels and pick axes in an effort to find loved ones.

Stories from family members attending a wedding, leaving and then in a moment looking back to see a wall of mud surrounding the home, rushing back to help only to barely escape a second tsunami of mud.

The United Nations is coordinating assistance. First responders have arrived in the devastated region with blankets, food and tents.