Latest avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan kill 8

Latest avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan kill 8

2012-01-24 16:06:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

FAYZABAD, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Two new avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan have killed at least eight more people, including a pregnant woman, provincial officials said on Tuesday. It comes just a week after a series of avalanches killed more than 40 others.

One of the two latest avalanches occurred on Sunday in the Barikab Pass in Badakhshan, a remote and mountainous province which faces severe snow every year between October and April. The second avalanche happened in the Yaftal Bala area on the outskirts of Fayzabad.

In the Barikab Pass, a group was buried when they were transporting two pregnant women to the Badakhshan Civil Hospital. A governor's spokesman said the avalanche killed three men, two children and a pregnant woman. The second pregnant woman was rescued by locals.

In the second avalanche, in the Yaftal Bala area, two more people were killed while a third person was injured.

Earlier this month, on January 16, at least 41 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured when a series of avalanches devastated villages in the province. More than 500 houses are believed to have been buried under the snow, including up to 80 houses in Zech village alone.

Several highways and roads in the region have also been closed due to the heavy snowfall, which has prevented search and rescue teams from reaching the worst-hit areas. The Afghan Natural Disaster Management Agency said residents in the province had previously been supplied with food, meaning there should be no food shortages.

Mountainous regions in Afghanistan are prone to avalanches. In February 2010, more than 170 people were killed when a series of avalanches struck the Salang Pass, a major mountain pass which connects northern Afghanistan and the Afghan capital of Kabul.

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