Save the Children Confirms the Tarsin Landslide Devastation
Tarsin – Sudanhorizon
Save the Children reported that survivors in the Tarsin area of Jebel Marra, Sudan were using their bare hands to try to reach those trapped in the landslide that occurred six days ago. The first emergency workers arrived on the backs of grocers to find massive destruction and hundreds dead.
The organization said in a statement posted on its website that first responders, who were riding a herd of donkeys, were unable to reach the site with emergency supplies until Thursday.
Heavy rains that continued for more than 36 hours and other landslides that struck the area also hampered rescue efforts. Lightning strikes from the storms sparked fires in the surrounding mountains, causing further destruction and displacement.
The organization noted that its staff, who took more than six hours to travel 22 kilometers of muddy, rocky terrain from their office in Golo to reach the village, set up a mobile health clinic and distributed medicines to families. They began assessing the effects of the landslide and the number of dead, injured, and displaced people.
The team reported scenes of devastation, with an urgent need for shelter, food, medicine, and other equipment, as children are always the most affected by any disaster.
Francesco Lanino, Save the Children’s Deputy Country Director for Programs and Operations in Sudan, is coordinating the operation and is in direct contact with the team in Tarsin. He said, rescue teams on the ground report that the landslide is one of the most tragic and large-scale disasters in the history of the region. So far, at least 373 bodies have been recovered, according to the head of the civil authority, and a potential 1,000 people are missing, including an estimated 200 children. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The statement says people are using their bare hands to recover the bodies of their relatives due to the lack of tools or machinery.
The Tarsin area consists of five villages, and in the village most affected by the landslide, only one known survivor has been found. Across the five villages, there are 150 survivors, including 40 children, who are receiving medical support and protection from Save the Children.
The civil authority reported that approximately 5,000 heads of livestock were killed in the disaster, and vast areas of agricultural land—essential for food and livelihoods—were destroyed. Many survivors fled to neighboring villages, as nothing remained of their homes and they feared the blaze would continue to advance.
The Save the Children official has pointed out that their teams are providing basic needs, but there is an urgent need for more. He launched an appeal for the international community to intervene and assist families during these difficult times in Sudan
The statement added that Save the Children was working with the head of the civil authority, along with local community representatives, to address the emergency. An inter-agency assessment of the situation will begin once other NGOs and UN agencies arrive in the area.
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