4 dead, 100 homes destroyed in landslide

TALUQAN (Pajhwok): Triggered by an earthquake, a huge landslide damaged about one hundred homes in two villages in the Rustaq district of northern Takhar province, killing at least four people, with dozens of others missing, officials said on Saturday.

Sanatullah Taimur, the governor’s spokesman, said the massive landslide occurred following torrential rains and struck Khwaja Khairaq and Pesta Nazar villages last night.

The slide caused human losses and damages to properties, he said, adding several homes had been detroyed. The disaster was believed to be the worst in a decade, said Taimur, adding many residents had climbed a nearby mountain for safety and police had reached the area to carry out rescue activities.

The floods also left the key Takhar-Badakhshan highway closed for traffic, multiplying problems for locals.

Police said more than 100 houses were damaged when an earthquake jolted the two villages and triggered the landslide early Saturday. It was feared the death toll could rise as many had been missing after the landslide struck.

A area resident Najmuddin said thousands of people died and went missing in a 1997 quake in the same district.

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