Foreign Policy Blogs

Mudslides, earthquakes in Afghanistan, Tajikistan

Keshem District Landslide10:00 a.m., April 2-Flooding that began March 27 has resulted in the death of more than 80 people and the displacement of hundreds of people in one-third of Afghanistan's provinces. 

Mudslides and flooding also killed ten and displaced many in Tajikistan two days ago; today, earthquakes at 6.2 on the Richter scale have affected Dushanbe and outlying areas.  No casualty reports are yet available. 

To those who have suffered losses, I extend my regrets and wishes for your safety.

To read about the disasters, check IRIN news report on Afghanistan's mud slides and Reuters for breaking news on Tajikistan's earthquake.

Official comments from The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's Department of Disaster Preparedness site are not yet available, but this is the site where the information will be relayed.

I will also update this post as news comes forward. 

Update: 4:45 pm April 2: Alisa Tang of AP reports that there are 150 known casualties from the floods in Afghanistan; the government and ISAF are attempting to reach another 20,000-25,000 citizens cut off from aid efforts. 
One woman in Tajikistan and her seven children were killed by mudslides.  Fifty people in Pakistan are known to have perished.
CBS is also carrying the story

Photo: Afghanistan's DDP