Afghanistan- IOM is responding to urgent needs in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province after a deadly landslide tore through the village of Jerow-Bala on Tuesday.

The landslide destroyed most of the village and left 52 people dead, including 22 children. Nearly 300 families from the village who have lost their homes are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.

Jerow-Bala is in the remote Khahan district of Badakhshan, and roads into the village are blocked by snow. Access to the village is currently only possible by helicopter.

On Wednesday IOM flew to Jerow-Bala with government and humanitarian partners to assess the needs of the affected families. The flights also carried initial relief supplies including tents, tarpaulins, blankets and food.

“The assessment team got back from the affected area on 29 April, said Gul Mohammad Ahmadi of IOM Afghanistan. “They returned yesterday by helicopter to distribute warm winter clothing and household kits to all 237 affected families.”

Afghanistan is one of the most hazard-prone countries in south Asia, facing earthquakes, floods, droughts, landslides, sandstorms and avalanches. The UN estimates that approximately 250,000 Afghans are affected by natural disasters every year. The destruction of homes and shelters in natural disaster incidents displaces over 23,000 people per year on average.

Since 2008, IOM has been working in Afghanistan to assist natural disaster-affected and displaced populations, strengthen the disaster response capacity of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and reduce risks in disaster-prone communities.

For further information, please contact Richard Danziger, IOM Kabul, Tel:  +93 794 100 525 Email: RDanziger@iom.int