MORE than 1,000 people are feared dead after a catastrophic landslide reportedly destroyed a whole village.
Just one person survived the tragedy in the Darfur region of western Sudan on Sunday, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).
Sudan Liberation MovementAn entire village in the Darfur region of western Sudan has reportedly been destroyed[/caption]
Sudan Liberation MovementDays of torrential rain caused the slopes of the Marrah Mountains to collapse[/caption]
Days of torrential rain appear to have loosened the soil and caused the slopes of the Marrah Mountains to collapse.
Entire families of men, women and children were swallowed up in the village of Tarasin, which has been “completely levelled to the ground”, the movement said.
The SLM’s leader, Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour, issued a desperate plea to the world for help recovering bodies.
The group said: “Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than one thousand people.
“Only one person survived.”
Darfur’s governor called the situation a “humanitarian tragedy”.
People of the village had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains after fierce fighting forced them from their homes.
Food and medical supplies are sparse in the mountains.
More than 150,000 have died in the conflict and around 12million have been forced from their homes.
The UN has warned the situation is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Darfur in particular has been racked by suffering – with famine confirmed and claims of a genocide.
For two years, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have been grappling for control.
The SLM, a rebel group, has control of the Darfur region in western Sudan.
Factions within the group have pledged to fight alongside the Sudanese military against the RSF.
Many people in Darfur believe the RSF and allied militias want to purge the area of ethnic minorities to create an Arab-ruled domain.
Sudan’s landslide came just hours after a massive earthquake struck in Afghanistan, killing over 800 people.
A 6.0 quake struck the Jalalabad area at around midnight local time – with tremors felt as far as Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, nearly 200 miles away.
Towns in the province of Kunar, near Jalalabad and the Pakistani border, were close to the epicentre.
Entire villages were reported to have been destroyed.
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