KABUL: Massive avalanches roaring down a mountain pass north of Kabul may have killed more than 60 people Tuesday, Afghan officials said, as rescuers evacuated about 400 injured victims.
Search-and-rescue teams recovered the bodies of 24 people but said they fear 40 others may have also died, Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said. About 2,500 people were rescued from their snow-blocked vehicles.
“Twenty-four bodies have been recovered so far, but the fear is that there could be up to 40 more still buried and unfortunately, they might have died already,” he said.
Afghan and coalition forces evacuated about 430 injured, with 180 taken by coalition helicopters to Bagram Airbase for medical treatment, Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak said in Kabul. The 250 others were taken to hospitals nearby.
The avalanches struck Monday following heavy snow along the 12,700-feet (3,800-meter) Salang Pass, which links the Afghan capital with the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Suhrab Ali Safari, acting public works minister, said in a phone interview from Salang a strong snowstorm overnight triggered a major avalanche that covered about 3.5 kilometers of road.
Safari said there was a series of smaller avalanches in the area in recent weeks. Soldiers, police and local people were all trying to help in the rescue efforts, he said.
In a statement, President Hamid Karzai ordered the ministries of public works, defense and disaster control to “use all possible means to get the roads unblocked and rescue those trapped and stranded in the heavy snow.” He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims who were killed or injured.
