Rescuers begin clearing roads to remote areas with dozens trapped after heavy snow hits central and north-eastern provinces

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The death toll from three days of heavy snow across Afghanistan has risen to 54 amid fears it could rise further as rescuers clear roads to remote areas.

Avalanches destroyed scores of homes and blocked roads in central and north-eastern provinces, a spokesman for the ministry of natural disasters told AFP.

“So far, 54 persons have lost their lives and 52 were injured as a result of avalanches and freezing weather in 22 provinces,” said Mohammad Omar Mohammadi. He said 168 houses were destroyed and 340 cattle killed.

Authorities fear the death toll may rise sharply because rescue crews had yet to reach some of the worst-hit areas.

In the badly hit north-eastern province of Badakhshan, at least 18 people, including two children, were killed when avalanches hit their houses overnight, said provincial spokesman Naweed Frotan.

“Several dozens are still trapped, we are trying to rescue them,” he said, adding that many roads were still blocked.

Five people were killed by avalanches in the Balkhab district of Sari Pul province in northern Afghanistan and at least 70 people trapped under the snow were being rescued, said another spokesman, Zabiullah Amani.

“The roads to Balkhab are still blocked and we are trying to open them,” he said.

The government declared Sunday, usually a working day in Afghanistan, to be a public holiday to deter non-essential travel and ensure schools were closed.

Neighbouring Pakistan was also hit by severe weather, with at least 13 people killed in the north-west of the country by avalanches or heavy rain.

An avalanche smashed into eight homes in the village of Shershal in Chitral district, killing four women, a man and four children. The region has been hit by heavy snowfall that is 1.2 metres (4ft) deep in some places.

In the Khyber tribal district on the Afghan border in the north-west, three children were killed and two women injured when the roof of their house collapsed in heavy rain.

Deadly avalanches are common in Afghanistan’s mountainous areas in winter and rescue efforts are frequently hampered by lack of equipment.

Despite billions of dollars in international aid after the ousting of the Taliban government in 2001, Afghanistan remains among the world’s poorest nations. Last month, heavy snowfall and freezing weather killed 27 children, all under the age of five, in Jawzjan province in northern Afghanistan.