52 feared dead in Afghanistan landslide

At least 52 people, mostly women and children, are feared dead after a landslide swept through a village in Afghanistan's remote mountainous north-east Tuesday, the latest natural disaster in the war-torn nation, officials said. The disaster, which buried dozens of houses in Badakhshan province, comes nearly a year after another landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 300 people in the isolated region.
The disasters highlight the challenges facing the underdeveloped nation as it battles a resilient Taliban insurgency in what is expected to be the bloodiest spring-summer fighting season for a decade. At least 25 women and 22 children were among those missing in the landslide in Jaryo Bala village, said deputy provincial governor Gul Mohammad Beidar. "We have asked Kabul for help and they have said they are sending two helicopters to assist with the rescue operations," Beidar told AFP.