Afghanistan has declared a national state of mourning for the hundreds of people killed by a mudslide Friday.
The BBC reports the search for survivors has officially ended after the provincial governor in the remote, northern region said there was "no hope" for the some 2,000 villagers believed buried by the slide.
The exact cause of the slide is unknown, but may have been triggered by recent heavy rains.
Sadly, Friday is usually a day of rest in Afghanistan, meaning most all the families in the village would have been home when the mountainside collapsed. (Via Al Jazeera)
Officials say at least 2,000 people were in the homes when the slide occurred, burying the area in mud and debris. An additional 600 people are also believed to be missing from rushing to aid those initially trapped, only to be buried themselves by a secondary slide. (Via Fox News)
The fear that more earth may come crashing down from the mountain side kept rescue workers on high alert Saturday.
But the effort was short lived. Efforts to dig people out of the soft mud with shovels and pickaxes was quickly abandoned, and officials deemed it unlikely they would pull out any survivors before machinery even arrived. (Via Sky News)
The New York Times reports hundreds of survivors have not been able to access their homes, with many spending the nights out in the open. Blankets, tents and food sent by the United Nations did arrive Saturday, but not nearly enough. Prompting some villagers to fight for food and shelter.
The BBC reports that it is unlikely there will be a serious effort made to unearth the remaining bodies.
