Avalanche damage estimated at US $3 million

The damage caused by a spate of avalanches that hit Tajikistan over the past two weeks is estimated to be around US $3 million, according to the Tajik emergency ministry. "Based on preliminary estimates, the damage is currently estimated to be some $3 million," Abdurakhim Rajabov, deputy emergency minister, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Wednesday. Jamilya Tilloeva, a ministry spokeswoman, told IRIN that the number of casualties stood at 12, including two children. Their remarks came after a wave of more than 400 avalanches caused by heavy snowstorms hit eastern, central and southern parts of the mountainous country. The eastern Gorno-Badakshan region, the Rasht Valley and Nurabad district in central Tajikistan, and the eastern Tavildara district were among the worst affected, Rajabov said. "More than 2,800 people were evacuated because of the avalanche threat in Nurabad district," Tilloeva said. "Clean-up work is still under way there and some local residents have started to move back to areas which are now safe to return to." According to the emergency ministry, almost 300 buildings were damaged and some 100 completely destroyed. The United Nations Coordination Unit (UNCU) in Tajikistan reported that key areas in mountainous parts continued to be cut off from the rest of the country. For such areas, all roads had been blocked and all communication lines were down, the UNCU said. "Within these regions, numerous villages are completely isolated from each other. A lack of information from and assessment of the situation in the affected areas is still a problem," it added. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday that Dushanbe had requested assistance from the UN following the natural disaster, with current needs including food, fuel, tents, clothing, blankets and construction materials. Tajikistan is prone to various natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, floods, avalanches and drought. In 2003, 120 incidents of flooding, avalanches and landslides were recorded in the country as well as 12 significant earthquakes, according to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). Natural disasters have killed about 2,500 people and affected some 5.5 million (almost 10 percent of the total population) in Central Asia over the past decade, ECHO said.