195 people were killed in emergency situations in the Sughd province last year, Anvar Qosimov, head of the Sughd emergency management agency, told reporters in Khujand, the capital of the Sughd province, on February 14.

According to him, 790 emergency situations were registered in the province last and damage caused by them to the province’s economy was estimated at 8,901,221 million somoni.     

“Seven natural disasters were reported in the province in 2017 and one resident of the Ayni district was killed by an avalanche last year,” Qosimov noted.  

Besides, 127 people drowned in the region’s rivers and water reservoirs last year, the Sughd emergency management agency chief added.   

Recall, Rustam Nazarzoda, the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) under the Government of Tajikistan, told reporters in Dushanbe on February 6 that 883 natural disasters were reported in Tajikistan last year, including 720 avalanches, 41 mudflows, 32 floods, 23 landslides, 33 earthquakes, 21 rockfalls and 13 squally winds.  

According to him, 31 people were killed in those natural disasters last year, including 23 people killed by avalanches.  

Besides, 170 people drowned in Tajikistan rivers and water reservoirs last year, the CES chief noted. 

According to him, natural disasters last year damaged 157 residential buildings, 604.4 hectares of agricultural lands, 16 bridges and some 1,200 kilometers of highways in the country.  

A total amount of damage caused by emergency situations to the country’s economy last year has been estimated at 400-500 million U.S. dollars, Nazarzoda added.