Toll from heavy rains in Tajikistan rises to 21
by AFP Staff Writers
Dushanbe, Tajikistan (AFP) Aug 30, 2023

At least 21 people have died following torrential rains in Tajikistan, authorities said Wednesday, the latest natural disaster to hit the mountainous Central Asian country.

The deaths were reported in three towns not far from the capital Dushanbe, after heavy rains on Sunday and Monday triggered flooding, landslides and mudflows.

A spokesperson from the Committee for Emergency Situations told AFP that "there are 21 dead", up from a previous toll of 13 on Monday.

Tajikistan, the poorest of the ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia, is vulnerable to natural catastrophes.

In February, dozens of avalanches as well as landslides and rockfalls struck Upper Badakhshan, an autonomous region in the south bordering Afghanistan, China and Kyrgyzstan that is surrounded by the Pamir Mountains.

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