At least 61 people have been killed in Afghanistan in the past three days due to avalanches and heavy rain, the country’s disaster management authority (Andma) said on Saturday.
The disaster management authority said in a post on social media that 61 people were killed, 110 injured and 458 houses were partially or completely destroyed in the past three days of avalanches and rain.
According to the agency, the casualties occurred mainly in the central and northern provinces of the country between Wednesday and Friday.
A spokesman said a total of 360 families were affected by the disaster. In a video message, he urged people to avoid unnecessary travel on snow-covered roads.
The spokesman also told AFP that most of the casualties were caused by roofs and avalanches. In addition, many died from extreme cold in below-freezing temperatures.
The emergency department in the southern province of Kandahar said six children died when the roof of a house collapsed on Wednesday due to strong winds and heavy rain. Damage to homes was also reported in other districts.
Authorities in Parwan province, north of Kabul, said the Salang Highway, one of Afghanistan’s main roads, had been closed. The highway is a key link to Afghanistan’s northern provinces. In addition, many tourists are stranded in the central mountain pass in Bamyan province, west of the capital. However, food has been distributed to them.
Meanwhile, a power transmission line imported from Uzbekistan was damaged on Thursday, leaving residents of about 12 provinces without power.
“Our technical teams are ready, but they are unable to reach the accident site because the Salang Pass is closed,” said Mohammad Sadiq, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s national electricity company, DABS.
Heavy snowfall and rain have destroyed shops and killed livestock in various parts of the rural country.
According to the United Nations, nearly half of Afghanistan’s population of more than 40 million will need humanitarian assistance this year as foreign aid has plummeted in recent years. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and droughts make the struggle for survival even more difficult.
