At least twelve people have been killed in massive mudflows in the northwestern district of Panjakent, Sughd province, according to the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan.
Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee, says the bodies of ten people were found and the operation for searching two other bodies is under way.
Flows of earth late on Monday (July 19) swept through the summer pasture of the village of Qishtudak, trapping shepherds tending to livestock.
Besides, two women were killed by a mudslide that hit Dashti Qozi village in Panjakent district
The Emergencies Committee spokeswoman says the bodies of eight shepherds were recovered from under mud masses and the bodies of two women were also recovered from debris in Dashti Qozi village, where the mudflow partially damaged fifteen houses.
The operation to search the bodies of two other people is under way, Umeda Yusufi told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Mudslides also caused damage to several other districts in the area.
According to the preliminary data, mudslides damaged 4 kilometers of roads, two bridges, power transmission lines and eight residential buildings in Vashan village of Ayni district in Sughd province. No injured was reported.
In Sughd’s Kuhisotoni Mastchoh district, mudslides reportedly destroyed three homes and partially damaged five homes in the villages of Pastighav, Khadishahr, Pit and Revomutk.
Mudslides reportedly also damaged 10 kilometers of roads, 20 hectares of arable lands and two budgies in Kuhisotoni Mastchoh district. No injured was reported.
In Sughd’s Devashtich district, mudslides partially damaged 15 houses in Rosrovut and Nekt villages and damaged rural roads and several household plots. No injured was reported.
Mudslides affect mountainous Tajikistan every year, mostly around springtime, blocking off roads, lacking transport infrastructure and forcing families to rebuild homes from scratch.
In May, nine people died in landslides in Tajikistan's southeast following heavy rainfall.
Radio Liberty says heavy rains last week caused mudslides in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, killing 16 people.
