Mudslides kill 7 in eastern Tajikistan

Tajik authorities said Tuesday that at least seven people were killed Monday night in downpour-triggered massive mudslides in the eastern region of Gorno-Badakhshan.

At the request of the Tajik government, two Chinese companies have joined the rescue and relief mission in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), the worst hit during a string of weather-related disasters over the past few days.

Besides the casualties, large numbers of houses were destroyed, vast swaths of farmland ruined and several roads and bridges damaged in GBAO, according to the national emergency committee.

Moreover, landslides have caused power cuts in the flooded areas.

A Tajik government mission has arrived at the disaster zone to assess the damage.

Mountains cover around 93 percent of Tajik territory. Precipitation in the mountains often causes rockfall, avalanches and landslides and leads to significant damage in valleys.