Over 100 people killed in series of avalanches in Afghanistan

More than a 100 people have been killed in a series of avalanches triggered by days of heavy snowfall around Afghanistan, including 50 in one village, officials said. The avalanches struck after three days of heavy snow, which has destroyed scores of homes and blocked roads mainly in central and northeastern provinces, making it difficult for rescue workers to reach the stricken villages.

The bulk of the deaths however occurred in remote Nuristan province, where at least 50 people were killed in a single village,



Mohammad Omar Mohammadi a spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Disaster told AFP. He said that rescuers are trying to reach the other villages as several others are still trapped. 

Elsewhere 54 people were killed in northern and central Afghan provinces, where officials said massive avalanches destroyed 168 houses and killed hundreds of cattle.The government declared today, a normal working day in Afghanistan, to be a public holiday to deter non-essential travel and ensure schools were closed.