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, Rustam Nazarzoda, the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan, told reporters in Dushanbe on February 6.

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.  

The damage that was caused by emergency situations to the private sector last year has been estimated at 30.5 million somoni.

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.