Kyrgyz village hit by landslide

At least 33 people have been killed in a landslide in the southern Kyrgyz region of Osh, near the Uzbek border.

The Kyrgyz ministry for emergency situations said the landslide destroyed 12 houses in the village of Budalyk in Alai district.

It is the second landslide to occur in the region in a week following recent heavy rains.

Landslides and avalanches are common in the former Soviet republic, which is mostly covered by mountains.

French news agency AFP says fatalities are also relatively common due to the unsuitable location and flimsy construction of many homes.

Buried

"The landslide buried six houses and destroyed a further six," said Emil Akmatov, a spokesman for the emergency situations ministry.

"According to our initial information, 33 people were killed... We may yet recover more bodies."

He said a number of injured residents of Budalyk had been taken to a local hospital.

The village is in a steep valley and has about 400 houses.

The mid-April landslide in southern Kyrgyzstan killed five children.