Damage Assessment for Osh, Kyrgyzstan

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT)

This map presents a quantitative damage assessment conducted over the city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, the scene of deadly ethnic attacks in June 2010, based on a detailed analysis of post-crisis satellite imagery.

This crisis assessment was produced in direct support of international and local emergency staff on the ground in Osh, with the understanding that the assessment conclusions were based exclusively on satellite imagery analysis with an associated moderate degree of uncertainty. Later field international assessments were able validate these specific analysis findings.

A total 1,805 buildings were destroyed and seventy-two were severely damaged. An additional seventy-three SOS distress signs and thirty-two roadblocks were also identified as likely indications of distressed ethnic-Uzbek neighborhoods. Suspicions of arson were supported by the prevalence of destroyed rooftops with visibly intact load-bearing walls, a common signature of fire-related damages.

A density analysis indicated that building damages were highly clustered in multiple zones of destruction. A significant majority of affected buildings were directly accessible from main primary or secondary roads suggesting that the perpetrators wanted to restrict their movement to these main transport routes. No damages were observed to the transportation network, including roads and bridges, or other key infrastructure sites within the city.

Courtesy of UNITAR/UNOSAT, 2010.

Map Book Page [PDF]