Four people die after a landslide in Almaty

Emergency response specialists discovered the bodies of four people after a landslide in the Tau Samal micro-district in Almaty. All victims of the disaster were members of one family: two adults and two teenagers.

The Ministry on Emergency Situations said that it is offering necessary psychological assistance to relatives and neighbors of the victims.

«As of now, we have discovered and recovered the bodies of a man born in 1984, a woman born in 1980 and two teenagers born in 2007,» the agency said in a statement.

Rescue personnel are continuing debris and mud clearance

«This work is complicated by a big amount of mud mass with sharp objects, glass, rebar and other debris. Also, because of the narrow space between buildings there is no room for heavy machinery and the rescue team has to rely on their hands,» the agency said.

The context. Early on February 8, residents of the Medeu district of Almaty reported a landslide that affected at least two houses. A team of rescue personnel immediately stepped in to search for people under the mud.

Neighbors told authorities that one of the affected houses was occupied by four people, including two children. Mayor Yerbolat Dossayev also came to the scene. He said that the highest priority is the rescue operation.

Later, local authorities said that the body of a boy born in 2007 was recovered from the mud.