Avalanche kills 50 in Afghanistan

Kabul, Feb 5 (IANS) At least 50 people were killed and a dozen others wounded after an avalanche struck a remote village in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan on Sunday, officials said.

"The natural disaster struck Hafsaa village, Barg-e-Matal district roughly at midday. The initial information found 50 people died and over one dozen wounded," a provincial source told Xinhua anonymously.

The source added that the number of casualties may further rise as the avalanche also destroyed countless houses in the province, bordering Pakistan.

"Most of the roads leading to the affected village have been blocked by the snow, and the local officials were trying to dispatch rescue teams to provide assistance and aid to affected people in the district with difficult terrains," he said.

The deaths have brought to over 90 the number of people who lost their lives due to snowfall and freezing weather across Afghanistan over the past three days.

The heavy snow and avalanche also destroyed or damaged more than 200 houses across the mountainous country over the same period.

Afghan security forces and Natural Disaster Management Authority's officials rescued several passengers, who were trapped in 40 vehicles along a main highway connecting Kabul to southern Kandahar province over the past 24 hours.

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