FAYZABAD, Afghanistan (BP) — A day of nationwide mourning was declared in Afghanistan after a May 2 landslide buried a village of 2,700 people — and a second landslide trapped hundreds of rescuers — under more than 160 feet of mud and rubble.
Baptist Global Response is planning to assist those impacted by the disaster, which occurred in the Argo district of Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan.
A BGR partner at the site described a horrific scene: A small boy dug desperately to find his mother. A man wept by a hole that had yielded three bodies and still held five more. A mountainside house on the opposite side of the valley was destroyed when the mud “climbed the mountain for it.” The first landslide occurred during a wedding celebration.
Survivors “are all traumatized and wandering around like they have seen the end of the world,” the partner reported.
BGR has committed $10,000 for emergency food aid, which will begin by providing a cooked meal for 2,500 people. The intention is to fill the gap until supplies arrive in the very remote area.
For more information on how to help, go to www.gobgr.org.
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Mark Kelly writes for Baptist Global Response. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
