Landslide Kills Ukraine Family of Four after Flood

KIEV, Nov. 23, 1998 -- (Reuters) A landslide triggered by recent flooding in Ukraine's western Trans-Carpathian region has killed a family of four, bringing the total death toll from the floods to 18, a spokesman for the emergencies ministry said on Sunday.

"There are 18 dead," Oleh Bykov told Reuters, saying the bodies of a whole family had been recovered in a mountain village after a mudslide destroyed their home.

"It simply covered them over. We pulled out the mother and two children just yesterday. An emergencies ministry rescue team had found the father 24 hours earlier," Bykov said.

"The main problem now is organizing life for those who have been evacuated, and the second is landslide prevention. There is a lot of land soaked with water."

Bykov said water levels in the disaster-struck area's main rivers were steadily receding, although over 5,000 people were still evacuated from their homes after the region's worst floods in recent memory struck earlier this month.

Geologists were mapping out zones threatened by landslides and taking preventive measures, Bykov said, and victims were receiving humanitarian aid from Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Holland, Poland, Slovakia and Russia.

An 80-bed mobile hospital and 29-part "life support module" -- including everything from home repair tools and materials to medical supplies, a kitchen and toilets -- were also on their way, he said. ( (c) 1998 Reuters)