Mudslide in remote area of Tajikistan kills 7, including 4 children, many feared missing

Tajikistan mudslide kills 7, many feared missing

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Emergency officials in Tajikistan say a mudslide in a remote region of the impoverished Central Asian nation has killed seven people, including four children, and dozens are feared missing.

The Emergency Ministry said the banks of the Tebalai river in southern Tajikistan ruptured early Friday, and more than 600 farms were inundated.

Officials said many people were unable to escape the heavy mud flow, which carried away trees and rocks.

Emergency workers and troops from a nearby Russian military base have been dispatched to site to assist the population.

Tajikistan, a mountainous country, is afflicted by mudslides every spring as snows begin to thaw.