Afghanistan: site of landslide 'Mass Grave'

President Hamid Karzai ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in light of the tragedy, as he called for aid and financial assistance.

Local officials and residents of Badakhshan province had lost hope of finding survivors after recovering 15 bodies, said Naweed Frotan, a spokesman for the province bordering China and Tajikstan. Frotan also stated that the missing people “are all dead by now” and that they were “unable to bring bodies out”. He added that there’s no way except to abandon them there.

At least 2000 people were in their homes when a mountain collapsed and covered the area in mud and rocks. A further 600 people were also declared missing when they joined the rescue effort as they were caught in the second landslide.

Heavy rain is suspected to have triggered to trigger the two landslides which hit the country on Friday morning.

A few hundred survivors have spent a night out in the open, although blankets, tents and basic food and aid has now arrived. Correspondents say they have demanded that government officials resettle them elsewhere because they do not want to return to a village where so many lie buried under metres of mud and stones. One survivor, Zia ul-Haq, told reporters, "My family, including my child and all my belongings are buried here."