Buried Alive: Photo report captures aftermath of deadly landslide in Kyrgyzstan village

A powerful photo report, "Climate Knows No Borders," by Kyrgyz activist and photographer Marat Sairanbaev, sheds light on the devastating consequences of global warming through the lens of a tragic event: the April 29, 2017, landslide in the village of Ayu-Sai, Kyrgyzstan. This catastrophic event buried 24 people, including children, under approximately one million cubic meters of earth.

Nine years on, the disaster site remains a poignant symbol of human vulnerability to nature's forces. The report contrasts the seemingly peaceful landscape of green hills and rural roads with the immense scale of the catastrophe, visible when looking up at the slope. Beneath the surface, where homes once stood, the remains of those never found still lie, a somber reminder of the lives lost.

Local residents shared that recent slope stabilization work uncovered the remains of two individuals missing since 2017. After nearly nine years, they were identified and finally laid to rest. The Ayu-Sai tragedy garnered international attention, prompting condolences from global leaders and a significant landslide risk reduction project funded by the Asian Development Bank, allocating $35 million for protective measures nationwide. The work in Ayu-Sai alone cost over 185 million Kyrgyz soms.

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We are used to thinking that global problems happen somewhere far away. But the greenhouse effect, caused by emissions thousands of kilometers from Kyrgyzstan, returns to us in the form of abnormal downpours, accelerated glacier melt, mudflows, and landslides.

Currently, the site is undergoing extensive engineering work. Excavators and construction equipment are actively terracing and reinforcing the slopes, installing drainage systems, and applying special geomembranes to prevent water infiltration into the soil. Specialists emphasize that soil oversaturation is a primary trigger for landslides, a phenomenon increasingly linked to climate change-induced abnormal rainfall and accelerated glacier melt in the region.

The report also highlights the lingering impact of past planning errors, pointing to an unfinished school building located in a hazardous zone, its construction halted after the disaster. This structure now stands as a monument to flawed planning and the critical importance of considering natural risks in development projects. Despite the evident dangers, some families, like the Razabaevs, continue to live mere dozens of meters from the landslide's path, even after being offered relocation to safer areas by the state, illustrating the complex ties that bind people to their ancestral lands.

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We may not be involved in the causes of climate change, but we are among the first to feel its consequences.