Kyrgyzstan says 6 dead, 2 children missing in landslides

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan said Tuesday the bodies of six people had been recovered and two children were missing after landslides swept rural areas of the Central Asian country. Fatal landsides affect mountainous Central Asia every year around springtime, blocking roads in a region lacking transport infrastructure and forcing families to rebuild homes from scratch. On Monday, landslides swept through the Aksy district in the west of the mountainous country, the emergency ministry said, destroying homes and bridges. "Two children in the village of Tashtak were washed away by the torrent. In total, mudflows carried away 8 people, 6 of them were found," it said in a statement Tuesday. Amateur footage posted by a local news organisation showed rapid flows of earth and water carrying dozens of downed trees and branches near rural homes in the region. President Sadyr Japarov ordered the government to take "all necessary measures as soon as possible" to provide assistance and offered condolences to the families of the victims. The emergency services said that some 20 rescuers and dozens more locals were working to locate those missing. In neighbouring Tajikistan in May, at least eight people were killed and property damaged in landslides in rural regions.