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Thousands Feared Dead Following Landslide in Afghanistan

Afghan villagers search through debris at the scene in the landslide-hit Aab Bareek village in Argo district of Badakhshan on May 5, 2014. Rescue teams abandoned the search for survivors May 3 after a landslide buried a hillside village in northern Afghanistan. At least 300 were killed, and officials warned the death toll could rise by hundreds more. A total of 700 families were left homeless in the mountains.

(Photo: SHAH MARAI/AFP via Getty Images)

Thousands Feared Dead Following Landslide in Afghanistan

"As the part of the mountain which collapsed is so big, we don't believe anyone would survive," said government spokesperson.

Thousands of people are feared dead following a landslide in Afghanistan triggered by heavy rain.

The disaster struck Friday in the Argo district of Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan when part of a mountain collapsed, burying the village below.

Wire services are currently reporting a death toll of at least 350 people, and with 2,000 still missing, many fear the death toll could rise significantly.

Government officials say the landslide could have buried up to 2,500 people.

"As the part of the mountain which collapsed is so big, we don't believe anyone would survive," Naweed Forotan, a spokesman for the Badakhshan provincial governor, toldReuters.

"There have now been more Afghans killed through natural disasters in the past seven days than all of 2013," stated Mark Bowden, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan.

The Associated Press has uploaded this raw video of the scene:

Raw: Massive Landslide in AfghanistanThe United Nations spokesman says at least 350 people have died in a landslide in a remote area in northeastern Afghanistan.

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