KABUL, May 8 (Xinhua) -- At least four children were killed when a landslide suddenly collapsed on them while they were digging soil in a remote mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on Friday, according to the provincial Department of Information and Culture.
The tragedy struck in the Yamgan district, where the children, aged between 10 and 15, were caught beneath a mass of falling earth and debris, said the department, adding that rescue teams recovered the bodies from the site, but all four were pronounced dead at the scene.
This latest disaster comes just days after another deadly landslide in neighboring Takhar province, where one person was killed and four others injured earlier this week.
Landslides and flash floods are frequent and often deadly in Afghanistan's northeastern highlands, particularly during spring when melting snow and heavy rains destabilize fragile slopes. ■