Massive Landslide Buries Remote Afghan Village - Photos

May 5, 2014 |  

Last Friday, in Afghanistan's mountainous northeastern province of Badakhshan, an enormous landslide took place, burying much of a small village, and killing hundreds. Officials say that at least 300 residents of Abi Barik village were killed, but are uncertain about exact numbers, cautioning that the final number could be 500 or more. Rescue teams gave up hope on Saturday of finding any survivors, focusing energy on helping the hundreds suddenly made homeless. Many of the surviving families have struggled to get aid. Some have gone to nearby villages to stay with relatives or friends, while others have slept in tents provided by aid groups. [22 photos]

An aerial view shows the site of Friday's landslide that buried Abi Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, on May 5, 2014. Afghan officials said they plan to build new houses for hundreds of families made homeless by a landslide that entombed a northeastern village and killed at least 300 people, perhaps as many as 2,700. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images)

Entire village wiped out in seconds: More than 2,100 people dead after hill collapses in Afghanistan following heavy rain

Entire village wiped out in seconds: 2,100 confirmed dead after hill collapses in Afghanistan following heavy rain as officials give up hope of finding more survivors

• More than 2,100 feared dead following landslide in northern Afghanistan
• Rescuers have stopped trying to find survivors in the 300ft deep mudslide
• Landslide buried some 300 homes in area - about third of all houses there

By Kieran Corcoran

Published: 14:59 GMT, 2 May 2014 | Updated: 14:17 GMT, 3 May 2014

Afghanistan: December 2013

Jan 6, 2014 | 12

 

Western forces continue their long withdrawal from Afghanistan, scheduled to be complete within a year, save for a small number NATO advisers and security teams. Recent reports and evaluations of the state of affairs in Afghanistan indicate a bleak immediate future, despite billions of dollars of foreign aid. Human rights groups report that violence against women is intensifying, malnutrition is mysteriously on the rise nationwide, economic growth has dropped sharply, and continued foreign aid is threatened by possible instability post-withdrawal. Gathered here are recent images from this war-weary country, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan. [38 photos]

An Afghan worker inspects hundreds of shipping containers received by U.S. and NATO troops at a storage yard in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, on October 28, 2013. These containers are often used to transport tons of scrap bought by Afghans from the departing U.S. military. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

Feb 3, 2014

For more than three decades, Pakistan has been home to one of the world's largest refugee communities: the more than one million Afghans who have fled years of warfare in their home country. Living in temporary shelters along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border -- and cared for by the the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan's government, and numerous international care agencies -- this massive and persistent population remains vulnerable to multiple dangers, from outbreaks of disease to violence spilling over from the war next door. Associated Press photographer Muhammed Muheisen has spent the past several years in Pakistan, documenting the lives of these refugees, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable: the children caught up in the chaos as their families try to keep them safe. Muheisen's portraits below are part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan. [30 photos]

In this Saturday, January 25, 2014 photo, Afghan refugee girl, Nazmina Bibi, 7, poses for a picture, while playing with other children in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)