24 dead after landslide struck southern Kyrgyzstan

Soldiers work at the site of a landslide in Manizales, Colombia, on April 19, 2017. (Xinhua/COLPRENSA)

BISHKEK, April 29 ( Xinhua ) -- A landslide has claimed 24 lives after it hit a village in southern Kyrgyzstan early Saturday, according to Kyrgyzstan's Emergencies Ministry.

The landslide struck the village of Ayu in the Osh region of the mountainous country at around 06:40 a.m.(0040 GMT), swallowing seven houses in the village and burying more than 20 people in six of the seven houses. The victims' chance of survival is slim.

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has ordered his emergencies minister to go to the disaster scene to take charge of the rescue operation.

A rescue headquarters has been established in the village. Apart from the more than 180 rescuers, 100 Kyrgyz soldiers also participated in the rescue operation.

The rescuers have been evacuating 40 households living near the disaster zone. 

Later Saturday, Atambayev decreed to declare April 30 a day of mourning for those killed under the landslide, according to the press service of the President.

"On April 29, 2017, a landslide occurred in Ayu village of Osh Oblast, resulting in human casualties. The tragedy claimed the lives of our citizens," the decree read.

"This is a heavy loss for the people of Kyrgyzstan. State bodies are conducting rescue work to find victims and bodies of the deceased, measures are being taken to provide support to their relatives and friends," it read.

On the day of mourning, the national flags of the Kyrgyz Republic will be lowered nationwide and on the buildings of diplomatic missions abroad.TV and radio companies are recommended to cancel entertainment programs. (by Zhou Liang, Liao Bingqing)