Local Taliban officials said that five people were killed following a landslide in the Shahri Buzurg district of Badakhshan province.
They said the incident occurred around 5:00 a.m. yesterday in the Pastaw area of Awaiz village, and that all the victims were residents of Yaftal district.
According to the Taliban, mining companies had previously operated in the area, but now people go there with basic tools to extract gold.
Several individuals in the area are engaged in informal gold mining and earn their livelihood this way.
The Taliban district governor in Shahri Buzurg stressed that the Pastaw area is vulnerable, warning that similar incidents could occur in the future if serious attention is not given.
He added that efforts to find any additional possible victims are still ongoing.
