KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least four children were killed when a landslide struck Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on Friday, local sources and Taliban authorities said, as the country grapples with a series of deadly weather-related incidents.
The incident occurred around noon in Yamgan District, where the children, aged between 10 and 15, were collecting mud for a traditional clay oven. A section of earth suddenly collapsed, burying them under debris, according to the sources.
Two of the victims were 13 years old, while the others were aged 10 and 15. All four died at the scene. The children were relatives but not members of the same immediate family, sources added.
Local Taliban authorities confirmed the deaths but provided no additional details.
Badakhshan, a mountainous province bordering Tajikistan, is among Afghanistan’s most vulnerable regions to natural hazards. Landslides, avalanches, floods, and earthquakes are common, particularly during heavy rainfall and seasonal weather changes.
The incident comes amid a broader surge in natural disasters across Afghanistan in recent months. Flash floods, landslides, heavy snowfall, and earthquakes have caused widespread destruction in multiple provinces.
According to the Taliban’s disaster management authority, at least 190 people have been killed and around 250 others injured over the past month in weather-related incidents, including multiple landslides and floods.
Thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, agricultural land has been affected, and many families have been displaced, adding pressure on communities already struggling with poverty and limited access to basic services.
The United Nations has described Afghanistan as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with millions of people in need of food, shelter, healthcare, and emergency assistance, while aid agencies are facing heavy funding shortfalls that continue to affect relief operations across the country.
