More than 1,000 people were killed in a landslide in western Sudan on Sunday, according to a rebel group that controls the area.
The landslide, which followed heavy rain, destroyed a village in the Marra mountains area of western Sudan and left only one survivor, said the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM).
“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 individuals, with only one survivor,” its statement said.
The movement, which controls the area located in the Darfur region, appealed to the UN and international aid agencies to help recover the bodies of victims. The village “has now been completely levelled to the ground”, the statement said.
Footage shared by the Marra Mountains news outlet showed a flattened area between mountain ranges and a group of people searching the area.
Sudan’s civil war, now in its third year, has plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with famine declared in parts of Darfur.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has escalated in Darfur, especially in El Fasher, since the army took control of the capital, Khartoum, in March.
The Marra Mountains area has turned into a hub for displaced families fleeing fighting in and around El Fasher. The SLM has mostly stayed out of the fighting but controls parts of Sudan’s tallest mountain range.
Darfur’s army-aligned governor, Minni Minnawi, called the landslide a “humanitarian tragedy that goes beyond the borders of the region”.
“We appeal to international humanitarian organisations to urgently intervene and provide support and assistance at this critical moment, for the tragedy is greater than what our people can bear alone,” he said in a statement.
Much of Darfur – including the area where the landslide occurred – remains largely inaccessible to international aid organisations because of ongoing fighting, severely limiting the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance.
The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, including about 4 million from the capital alone.
Hundreds have been reported killed in recent months, and civilians in El Fasher say the paramilitaries are currently waging their fiercest ever assault on the North Darfur state capital.
The war has been marked by atrocities including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the UN and rights groups. The international criminal court has said it is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report