Flattened Afghan village to be declared mass grave

The village buried by the landslide in the northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan would be declared a mass grave, an official said on Sunday. The Vice-President Karim Khalili lead a high level delegation to Argo district to provide assistance to the victims of the heavy landslide that left over 2100 people dead and present its report to Afghan President Karzai. Khalili suggested that the village be declared a mass grave because clearing the rubble was a gigantic task. The Governor of Badakhshan, Shah Wali Adib, said in a statement that the village would be declared a mass grave as there was no hope of finding survivors buried in up to 100 meters of mud. The Afghan officials have confirmed the death of over 2100 people in the landslide from 300 families. The rescue teams were striving to provide aid to 700 families living under the open sky. President Hamid Karzai has announced May 4 a day of mourning over the catastrophe. The national flag is raised half-mast in offices across the country and Afghan diplomatic missions around the world