A landslide in southern Kyrgyzstan on Monday killed 33 people and injured 19 others, the emergency ministry in the mountainous Central Asian country said.
"At around 11:00 am (0500 GMT) on Monday a landslide engulfed 12 homes in the district of Kainam Alaisk of the Osh region," emergency ministry spokesman Emil Akhmatov told AFP.
"Thirty-three people died and 19 were injured," he said. The victims "were mainly women and children" who were at home at the time.
"Emergency services are working at the scene," 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Kyrgyzstan's second city Osh, a 3,000-year-old Silk Road trading city in the south. Twelve people have been hospitalised as a result of a slide caused by several days of heavy rain, the Interfax news agency reported.
Landslides and avalanches are common, particularly during the spring thaw, in this former Soviet republic that is mostly covered by mountains and features several 7,000-meter (yard) peaks.
They often result in fatalities due the unsuitable location and flimsy construction of many homes.
Kyrgyz authorities say many of the fatalities could be prevented if rural residents do not refuse state aid to help resettle them in safer locations.
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