Dushanbe, 7 June 2003 (RFE/RL) -- At least two people are reported dead in Tajikistan after torrential rainfall and strong winds overnight caused mudslides and flooding in the north of the country. Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Rajabali Azimov said over a thousand homes were completely destroyed and tens of thousands of people left homeless by the storm.
Azimov also said hundreds of kilometers of road were partly washed away and hundreds of hectares of crops ruined. Among the worst-hit cities were Gafurov, Chkalovsk, and Penjikent. Tajikistan's second city, Khujand, was left without electricity.
The Emergency Situations Ministry has dispatched convoys of trucks with food, medicine, and blankets to the worst-affected areas.
Azimov also said hundreds of kilometers of road were partly washed away and hundreds of hectares of crops ruined. Among the worst-hit cities were Gafurov, Chkalovsk, and Penjikent. Tajikistan's second city, Khujand, was left without electricity.
The Emergency Situations Ministry has dispatched convoys of trucks with food, medicine, and blankets to the worst-affected areas.