DUSHANBE, May 12, 2009, Asia-Plus — Disasters in recent days have killed at least ten people, including six children, in Tajikistan. According to the Committee for Emergency Situations (CES), heavy rains and floods along with mudslides have damaged dozens of residential buildings and demolished several hundred hectares of agricultural fields in the Panjakent of the northern Sughd province, Yovon and Muminobod districts of Khatlon province as well as Varzob and Roudaki districts surrounding Dushanbe.
A powerful mudslide has killed three children in the Tursunzoda district, some 60 kilometers to the west of Dushanbe. The CES source said that mudslide caused by heavy rainfalls killed three children in the village of Qahramon in the Tursunzoda district on May 8. “8-year-old Mehrob Safarov and his three-year-old sister Tanzila as well as two-year-old Fayziddin Ziyovuddin was buried by a powerful mudslide”, the source at a CES said.
In the meantime, rainfalls and floods along with mudslides have demolished 500 hectares of agricultural fields and partially damaged several residential buildings in Muminobod and Varzob districts since the beginning of May. Besides, more than 50 households in Panjakent and Yovon districts have also been affected by torrential rain and resulting mudslides. Mudslides have also damaged some sections of roads in the country, the CES source said.
According to the Ministry of Interior (MoI), disasters that hit northern Tajikistan on May 9 killed four persons. Three persons were killed by rockfall in the Shahriston district. A rockfall hit the 158th kilometer of the highway from Dushanbe to Khujand. The driver of a heavy truck KAMAZ could not control the vehicle and it fell into the river. The driver and two his passengers died on the spot. The same day, an avalanche killed shepherd in the Ayni district. Anvar Narziyev was pasturing cattle at the foot of mountain when the snow avalanche hit the area, burying Anvar Narziyev, the source at a MoI said.
Torrential on May 10 caused a mudslide that hit the village of Mash’al in the Roudaki district. The mudslide carrying tons of slurry hit local resident Nourmahmad Shonazarov and three his sons. The 3-, 5- and 12-year –old children died on the spot while their father with serious injuries was taken to local hospital.
According to the Committee for Emergency Situations, damage caused to the country by rain, floods and mudslides in April-May this year has been estimated at 1 million US dollars.
