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Tajikistan landslide, earthquake kills 14

23 July 2007 16:42 (UTC +04:00)

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, and a landslide triggered by torrential rains, killed 14 people in Tajikistan over the weekend, according to officials, APA reports.
The landslide ripped through a resort area in the Asht District of northern Soghd Province on 22 July at 2pm local time.
"An assessment team left for the affected region this morning and will be back tomorrow morning with a needs assessment report," Anvar Sabzaliev, a UN disaster risk management project analyst.
According to the Rapid Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team (REACT), comprising government, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), 11 bodies have been retrieved. However, it is feared that the number of dead will rise as the search continues.
The landslide destroyed 25 houses and swept away 20 cars. Tajik Emergency Ministry assessment teams are on the ground and more accurate information is expected to be available shortly.
Emergency relief aid kits, including food aid, tents, fuel, hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen utensils, clothes and water purification tablets are set to be distributed among the survivors by donor agencies after the needs assessment is completed. /APA/