Villagers in a remote area of Sudan's western Darfur region are trying to reach buried victims by hand after a devastating landslide on Sunday, aid group Save the Children says.
People are excavating by hand to rescue the bodies of their relatives since there are no tools or machinery, Francesco Lanino, Save the Children's deputy Sudan director for programmes and operations, said.
It is unclear how many people died. Figures range from as high as 1,000 from an armed group in charge of the area, to a figure from the national health ministry that says only two bodies have been recovered.
Save the Children said at least 373 bodies had been recovered, according to the head of the Civil Authority.
Mr. Lanino said, 1,000 lives may have been lost, including an estimated 200 children. Save the Children staff described scenes of destruction and devastation after the landslide caused by heavy rainfall. Mr. Lanino stated that the landslide is believed to be one of the most tragic and large-scale disasters in the region's history.
In the impacted Tarseen area, which comprises five villages, there is only one known survivor in the worst-hit village.
Independently verifying the impact of the landslide has been difficult due to the area's remoteness.
However, through analysis of satellite imagery, BBC Verify was able to identify nine buildings and structures that were washed away in the disaster.
It took Save the Children aid workers more than six hours to cross nearly 14 miles (22km) of rocky, muddy terrain to reach the affected area.
Aid workers had travelled on donkey to deliver the first humanitarian supplies to survivors.
The ongoing civil war in Sudan has complicated rescue efforts, according to another aid group, World Vision. Sudan is currently facing a humanitarian crisis due to fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army.
Estimates for the death toll from the civil war vary significantly, but a US official last year estimated up to 150,000 people had been killed since hostilities began in 2023, forcing twelve million people to flee their homes.
