10 dead, hundreds of houses destroyed in Afghan landslide

KABUL: At least 10 people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed in a remote area of northeastern Afghanistan after melting snow triggered a landslide, officials said Thursday. A mountain lake in Panjshir, a province north of Kabul known for its snowcapped peaks, overflowed and sent water and mud cascading over Peshghor village, Omar Mohammadi, spokesman for the disaster management ministry, told AFP. Jamil Ahmad was lying in bed just before midnight when he said he heard a sound like “jets” flying overhead. “Somebody shouted ‘Flood!’ and I ran away with my family to higher ground,” Ahmad told AFP by telephone. “The people started firing (weapons) into the air to warn others about the flood.” The water and mud had inundated most of the houses in the village, and destroyed a religious school, two mosques and the main market, Ahmad said. “Three women from my neighbourhood and two labourers who didn’t hear the warning were taken away by the flood,” Ahmad said.