Dushanbe, 8 July 1999 (RFE/RL) - At least 18 people were killed in northern Tajikistan overnight as tons of mud and rocks slid down the mountains after heavy rains. About 50 more people are missing. The Ministry for Emergency Situations said the landslide in the Ashtsky district of the Leninabadsky region destroyed 150 homes and damaged about 200 more. Reports said that in some places the mudslide was up to five meters high and 60 meters wide. Roads and powerlines were also destroyed. Troops are on their way to the disaster area to help in rescue operations. Itar-Tass says that earlier yesterday five people died in the village of Kushai in the eastern Dzhirgital region when floodwaters and landslides swept away their homes.