Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow killed at least 108 people in northeastern Afghanistan, an emergency official said Wednesday, as rescuers clawed through debris with their hands to save those buried beneath.
The avalanches buried homes across four northeast provinces, killing those beneath, said Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority. The province worst hit appeared to be Panjshir province, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Kabul, where the avalanches destroyed or damaged around 100 homes, Syas said.
#AFG, Discovery operation continues for #Panjshir province's avalanche victims .16 dead bodies were found yet pic.twitter.com/07Y1EBrTgG— Afghan Journalist (@HamidPaiman) February 25, 2015
The acting governor of Panjshir, Abdul Rahman Kabiri, said rescuers used their bare hands and shovels in an effort to reach survivors. Rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected areas and casualties were expected to rise, Syas said.
Large parts of Afghanistan have been covered in snow as a major storm interrupted an otherwise mild and dry winter.
A photo posted by Shams (@champshams) on Feb 23, 2015 at 11:03pm PST
Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979. But natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches have taken a toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities.