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. 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. Last month, heavy snowfall and freezing weather killed 27 children, all under the age of five, in Jawzjan province in northern Afghanistan.

Source: The Guardian February 05, 2017 15:04 UTC