The death toll from the avalanches that hit Tajikistan, a mountainous republic in Central Asia, has risen to 19 in mid-February, authorities announced on Monday (February 20th).
“From February 15 to February 19, 200 avalanches, seven landslides and six rockfalls were recorded” And “19 of our fellow citizens lost their lives in avalanchessaid the Emergency Situations Committee.
Condolences
Tajikistan, the poorest of the former Soviet republics, is often plagued by natural disasters. Almost all of the victims lived in Upper Badakhshan (also called Gorno-Badakhshan), an autonomous region bordering Afghanistan, China and Kyrgyzstan.
Upper Badakhshan is surrounded by the imposing Pamir Mountains, with peaks exceeding 7000 meters. This isolated region due to insufficient transport infrastructure represents about half of the Tajik territory but only 2% of the more than 9.5 million inhabitants of Tajikistan. President Emomali Rahmon, in power for three decades, has received telegrams of condolence from several leaders of former Soviet republics, including his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as well as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.