1.   The landslide was blamed on heavy rains that authorities said eroded the base of a hill, unleashing the landslide.

2.   The landslide is blamed on a combination of heavy rains and the Normans Kill creek below, which cut into the base of the weak clay-soiled hill.

3.   The landslide was blamed on periods of heavy rain followed by cold temperatures.

4.   The state-run radio blamed the landslide on two weeks of heavy rain and snowfalls.

5.   The state-run radio blamed the landslide on heavy rains that pounded northeastern Afghanistan for much of the past two weeks.