Roundup: Rescue operation continues in avalanche-hit Afghan province, casualties soaring

Afghan government and scores of aid agencies have stepped up efforts to increase the emergency response to victims of deadly avalanches in eastern Panjshir province, authorities said on Saturday.

"The latest data showed that 250 people died as a result of recent heavy avalanches and snowfall-related incidents across Afghanistan over the past five days," Deputy to the Natural Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Mohammad Aslam Sahyas told local media.

Parts of mountainous Afghanistan have seen heavy snowfall over the past week, causing massive avalanches with snow affecting some main roads and mountain passes in 16 out of the country's 34 provinces.

The most affected areas were in Panjshir province, where the rescue and search operation has been continuing since early Wednesday.

Four army helicopters have been involved in delivering packages of cooked food and other materials for nearly 2,000 displaced families in Panjshir over the past days, according to Sahyas.

The number of casualties of the disaster may rise further, he said.

"Over 200 bodies were found in Panjshir. Scores wounded. Dozens of people are still missing and trapped. Rescue teams failed to reach all affected districts, particularly in higher districts of the province with Bazarak as its capital, 200 km north of Kabul," a disaster official told Xinhua on Saturday via phone.

"We lost contact with remote Paryan, Aabshar and Darrah districts. They are located in higher parts of Panjshir. Difficult terrain, narrow roads, continuation of snowing, and fears of new avalanches have been the main challenges facing our rescue teams," the official, who declined to be named, said.

"We have been working hard to coordinate efforts and provide best assistance to survivors. We have enough food. There are adequate tents, medicines and water. Shortly after the roads are reopened and we reach the affected villagers, they will receive assistance," he said.

"Since early Saturday, for the fourth successive day, our special teams with heavy machinery are continuing to clear roads in the narrow valleys of northeastern part of the province. They are opening the road for search and rescue teams," Deputy Interior Minister of Public Works Ahmad Shah Waheed told local media.

Afghan ministries of defense, interior, public works, agriculture, public health in addition to Afghan Red Crescent and a number of international aid agencies had been involved in the rescue operation and delivering assistance, Waheed noted.

The Afghan private sector and businessmen have also sent relief items as well as cash for the victims of the disaster.

The avalanches, in addition to the killing of 200 people in Panjshir, have also claimed the lives of more than 50 people in Badakhsan, Baghlan, Takhar, Kapisa, Parwan and Bamyan provinces.

The government has announced a three-day national mourning beginning from Saturday.

The electricity outage in majority parts of the national capital of Kabul has remained 15 to 20 hours within day as one dozen electricity towers were destroyed or damaged by recent avalanches in Salang Pass in Parwan province.

On Friday, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, along with government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, visited Panjshir, in addition to expressing sympathy with the affected families, have instructed concerned entities to dispatch humanitarian assistance to the affected areas on emergency basis. Endi