Heavy snow kills 28 Afghans, strands 1,500 people (1st Lead)

Feb 9, 2010, 11:32 GMT

Kabul - Twenty-eight people were killed, 70 others were injured in avalanches as rescuers pulled out 1,500 passengers stranded at a snow-blocked mountain pass in northern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.

The avalanches took place on Monday afternoon on Salang road after heavy snows, at 3,300 metres where passes through a 5-kilometre tunnel and links capital Kabul to the northern region.

Some 600 rescuers, including police and army forces and local residents, worked throughout the night and pulled out 1,500 of survivors buried under thick blanket of snow, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi said.

'Seventy people were injured and 28 others were martyred in the incidents,' Azimi said.

General Kabir Adarabi, the provincial police chief of northern province of Baghlan, said that a number of people were killed by avalanches that buried their vehicles, while several others froze to death due to acute cold weather on Monday night.

'Around 100 vehicles are still trapped in the snow-blocked road near the main tunnel, but the strong snowstorm in the area hampers the rescuing teams' advance,' he had said earlier.

President Hamid Karzai expressed grief over the deaths and 'ordered relevant authorities to make every effort possible for a quick reopening of the tunnel and provide help to those in need,' the presidential palace said in a statement.

Abdul Matin Edraak, head of National Disaster Management Centre said that at least 17 avalanches were reported until Monday evening, while there were several collapses on Tuesday.

He said more than 200 passenger vehicles and trucks were trapped inside the main tunnel.

Soldiers and police were mobilized to join other rescue workers in the area, Azimi said, adding that four army helicopters, dozens of ambulances and bulldozers were also rushed to the area.

Officials in the area said that the rescue efforts were still underway, and hope that they could clear the road before dusk.