BISHKEK, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - The bodies of the 16 people who died when a landslide hit a village in south Kyrgyzstan's Jalal-Abad province have been recovered by rescue workers, an emergency services spokesman said on Friday.

The landslide occurred early on Thursday, and buried five homes in the village. Nine children were among the dead.

Funeral services are due to take place later in the day. Authorities have pledged to provide the families of the deceased with material assistance.

Rescuers are continuing work at the scene in order to extract the bodies of cattle from under the landslide in an effort to prevent the spread of disease.

The Kyrgyz parliament observed a minute's silence on Friday morning as a mark of respect for the dead.