The Afghan government on Saturday declared a north-eastern village a mass grave and suspended search and rescue operations, one day after it was hit by a mudslide in which the death toll ranged from 277 to more than 2,000 people, according to dpa. The continuation of the search would be fruitless because no survivors would be found, Vice President Karim Khalili said after visiting mudslide victims in Ab-e-Barik in Badakhshan province. "All our brothers and sisters who were under the tons of mud have died, and we pray for them," provincial Governor Shah Waliullah Adib said with Khalili in Faizabad, Badakhshan's capital. Survivors, soldiers, police officers and rescue workers had been working with shovels, picks and excavators to try to find those missing until rescue work was suspended Saturday afternoon. The disaster occurred Friday when torrential rains caused a hillside to collapse and bury the entire village in mud. -- SPA 20:09 LOCAL TIME 17:09 GMT تغريد
