More than 2,000 people were trapped and hundreds feared dead after a landslide smashed into a village in a remote mountainous area of Afghanistan yesterday, local officials said, prompting a massive search and rescue effort.

The landslide crashed into the northeastern village in Argo district at around 11am (0730 CET) as villagers were trying to recover their belongings and livestock after a smaller landslip had hit the area a few hours earlier.

At least 100 people were being treated for injuries, according to Colonel Abdul Qadeer Sayad, a deputy police chief of Badakhshan province.

“There were more than 1,000 families living in that village. A total of 2,100 people – men, women and children – are trapped,” Naweed Forotan, a spokesman for the Badakhshan governor, said.

“As the part of the mountain which collapsed is so big, we don't believe anyone would survive.

“The government and locals from surrounding villagers are helping with the rescue, and so far they have recovered more then a hundred bodies.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs put the number of fatalities at 350, and said significant displacement was expected. The landslide, which followed a week of heavy rain at a time of melting spring snow, crushed hundreds of houses and damaged hundreds more, Sayad said.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by difficult conditions, with the area flooded by more than a week of rain. Seasonal rains have caused heavy destruction across the north of the country, killing more than 100 people.

President Hamid Karzai ordered Afghan officials to start emergency relief efforts immediately.

“A high-ranking government delegation will soon travel to Badakhshan province to provide aid for affected locals,” his office said.