At least four people are known to have died and around twenty more are missing after a landslide struck the remote village of Askitol in Zibak District in Badakhshan Province in northeast Afghanistan on Tuesday 10 September 2013. The event happened when part of a hillside collapsed following days of heavy rain, destroying 34 houses as well as about 100 acres of farmland and 140 cattle. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.
Askitol Village following the 10 September 2013 landslide. Wakht News Agency.
Many areas of south and east Asia have suffered a string of flooding and landslide events this year, following an exceptional Himalayan Monsoon and a string of tropical storms. The worst hit countries have been India, China and Nepal, where over a thousand people have died, but no countries in the area have escaped completely unscathed. Northwest Afghanistan has suffered a series of flash floods since August, dozens of people and taking a heavy toll on farmland, livestock and infrastructure.
The approximate location of the 10 September 2013 Askitol landslide. Google Maps.
See also Worker killed by landslide at Mingora in the Swat Valley, Two workers killed in landslide near Attabad Lake, Gilgit-Baltistan, Two teenage girls killed by landslide in Jammu and Kashmir and Woman killed in landslide in Jammu and Kashmir.
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