A landslide wiped out an entire village in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country’s recent history, a rebel group controlling the area said.

The village of Tarasin was “completely leveled to the ground,” the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said as it appealed to the U.N. and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies.

The Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, centered in the Marrah Mountains area, is one of multiple rebel groups active in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. It hasn’t taken sides in the war.

The tragedy happened Sunday after days of heavy rainfall.

“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 people," the rebel group said in a statement. ”Only one person survived,” it added.

Most of the conflict-stricken Darfur region has become mostly inaccessible for the U.N. and aid groups, given crippling restrictions and fighting between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The Marrah Mountains are a rugged volcanic chain extending for 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of el-Fasher, an epicenter of fighting between the military and the RSF.

The area has turned into a hub for displaced families fleeing fighting in and around the besieged city.

AP video shot by: Ahmed Hatem