Seven members of a single family have been killed by a landslide that struck their home in the village of Satkoragool in the Karimganj District of Assam State, India, overnight between Friday 9 May and Saturday 10 May 2014. Nobody witnessed the incident, which occurred during heavy rain, but neighbours found that part of a hillside had collapsed onto the home, burying it under a debris heap of mud rocks and trees. The bodies of Lubub Uddin (45), his wife Saina Begam (35). and their five children, aged between two and eleven were all recovered from the site.
The approximate location of the 9/10 May 2013 Satkoragool Landslide. Google Maps.
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, and the Satkoragool landslide appears to have been no exception, coming after about three days continuous heavy rain in the region. Assam has a subtropical climate with a monsoon season that lasts from May to October. The state typically receives about 2800 mm of rain per year, with about 1800 mm of this falling in the monsoon season.
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