CAIRO (AP) — A landslide has devastated a village in Sudan’s western Darfur region, leading to the deaths of approximately 1,000 individuals. This disaster is considered one of the most lethal natural tragedies in the country’s recent history, according to a local rebel group.
The Sudan Liberation Movement-Army reported that the village was “completely destroyed” and has called for assistance from the U.N. and international relief organizations to help recover the deceased.
The incident occurred on Sunday in Tarasin, located in the Marrah Mountains of Central Darfur, following several days of intense rainfall. “Initial reports indicate that all residents of the village, estimated to be over 1,000 people, have died,” the rebel organization stated. “Only one individual survived,” they added.
On Tuesday, Abdel-Wahid Nour, the group’s leader, urgently requested international support, stating, “The scale and extent of the disaster are beyond comprehension.”
The Sovereign Council governing Khartoum expressed its condolences for the “deaths of countless innocent individuals” due to the landslide in the Marrah Mountains. They noted that “all available resources” have been mobilized to assist the affected region.
Video footage from a local news channel displayed a flattened expanse between mountains with people searching for survivors and bodies.
According to Al-Amin Abdallah Abbas, a farmer from the neighboring area of Ammo, which includes Tarasin, the locality had experienced weeks of heavy rainfall, making Tarasin one of the worst-hit areas. He reported that local tribal leaders are working together to recover and bury the victims, calling it “an unprecedented tragedy.”
