At least 10 people have been killed and many others are still missing after a landslide broke the banks of a natural dam in northeastern Panjshir province in the early hours of Thursday, local officials confirmed.

Officials said an ice cap on a nearby mountain melted and triggered the deadly landslide, which in turn caused the flood.

The incident happened at about 1am on Thursday in Has-e-Awal district of the province. When the landslide broke the banks of the dam, fast flowing water surged through a valley in the mountainous area carving out a path of destruction.

In one village over 400 houses were either destroyed or damaged, the deputy provincial governor Mohammad Amin Sediqqi said.

Two districts in the province have been cut off, Sediqqi said, adding that “the number of casualties may rise.”

Meanwhile officials at the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) have appealed for help for the victims – many of whom have lost everything and have been left homeless.

The ANDMA said rescue teams have been sent to the area to help search for the missing and recover bodies.</s>Afghanistan: At least 10 people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed in northeastern Afghanistan after melting snow triggered a landslide, officials said Thursday.

"A mountain lake in Panjshir, a province known for its snowcapped peaks north of Kabul, overflowed and caused a landslide," Omar Mohammadi, spokesman for the disaster management ministry, told AFP.

"We have deployed everything at hand to help the people," said Mohammadi.

"Some people are missing. Villagers using shovels and other tools were desperately searching for survivors as rescue teams were deployed to the area," he added.

Disasters such as avalanches and flash floods often hit in mountainous areas of Afghanistan as snows melt in the spring and summer.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials say a dilapidated dam in a scenic northern valley has crumbled under the weight of heavy summer rains, killing at least 10 people.

Omar Mohammadi, a spokesman for the ministry for humanitarian assistance, said that along with the 10 killed, about 300 houses were completely destroyed in the Panjshir Valley.

The scenic valley, popular with tourists, is located about 140 kilometers, or 95 miles, north of Kabul.

After the dam burst, the floodwaters swept into villages downstream, engulfing homes and sending panicked residents fleeing on Wednesday night.

Deputy police chief Najim Khan said on Thursday that 13 people remain missing in the Khinj district and that here are fears they might have been swept away in the disaster, which also damaged 1,000 hectares, or 2,470 acres, of farmland.</s>A member of the American military was killed in combat in Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, marking the second US fatality in a week.

The person "died today of a wound sustained during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan," US Forces Afghanistan said in a statement, adding that an Afghan security force member was also killed and several wounded.

The fatality brings to four the number of US troops killed in Afghanistan hostilities this year.

Last week, a US soldier was killed and two others wounded in an apparent insider attack in southern Afghanistan.</s>At least 10 people were killed andin a remote area of northeastern Afghanistan after melting snow triggered a landslide, officials said Thursday.A mountain lake in Panjshir, a province north of Kabul known for its snowcapped peaks, overflowed and sent water and mud cascading over Peshghor village, Omar Mohammadi, spokesman for the disaster management ministry, told AFP.Jamil Ahmad was lying in bed just before midnight when he said he heard a sound like "jets" flying overhead."Somebody shouted 'Flood!' and I ran away with my family to higher ground," Ahmad told AFP by telephone."The people started firing (weapons) into the air to warn others about the flood.""Three women from my neighborhood and two laborers who didn't hear the warning were taken away by the flood," Ahmad said.Villagers had been worried about the possibility of landslides after several days of increasingly warm weather, Ahmad said.Most survivors were staying on higher ground for fear of more, he added.Disasters such as avalanches and flash floods often hit in mountainous areas of Afghanistan as snow melts in the spring and summer. It is made worse by deforestation.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is in Brussels for the NATO summit, said he was "deeply saddened" by the latest natural disaster."A number of people have lost their lives" in the landslide, Ghani said in a statement.He ordered "relevant authorities to provide urgent assistance to the affected people".The landslide comes as the country is in the grip of a nearly 17-year war between Afghan security forces and the Taliban.Source: Agence France-Presse
At least ten people are killed and many others still missing after a landslide breaks the banks of a natural dam in Panjshir Province, Afghanistan.