A landslide wiped out a village in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country, a rebel group controlling the area said late on Monday. The tragedy happened on Sunday in the village of Tarasin in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains after days of heavy rainfall in late August, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said in a statement.

“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1000 people. Only one person survived,” the statement read. The village was “completely levelled to the ground”, the group said, appealing to the UN and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies. Footage shared by the Marrah Mountains news outlet showed a flattened area between mountain ranges with a group of people searching it.

People inspect the debris after the landslide. Pics/AFP