As I prepare an avalanche of posts from there:
"Afghan authorities reported yesterday that avalanches have killed at least 29 people in the country’s mountainous northeast.
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"Afghan avalanche kills 37 in north
KABUL - Rescuers shoveled through deep snow Tuesday searching for victims of an avalanche that destroyed a village of 200 people in northeastern Afghanistan, authorities said. Thirty-seven people have been confirmed dead, but authorities fear the death toll will rise.
“It is a mountainous area with so much snow,’’ said Shams Ul Rahman, the deputy governor of Badakhshan Province, where the avalanche occurred on Sunday night. “My concern is that many more people were killed.’’
People from a nearby village were the first to reach the site. They were joined on Tuesday by rescue workers from Darwaz district, who walked for two days to reach the remote area.
About 100 rescuers equipped only with shovels were digging through mounds of snow looking for anyone who might have survived, Rahman said. He said initial reports were that only three women and one child survived. They were not in the village of Dasty at the time.
Mohammad Daim Kakar, general director of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said authorities were trying to find two helicopters that can be sent to ferry blankets, food, and medicine to the site.
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"45 feared trapped in Afghan avalanche" Associated Press" March 13, 2012
KABUL - An avalanche struck two remote villages in northeast Afghanistan on Monday and 45 people were feared trapped in the snow, authorities said.
The avalanche hit the villages of Poshan and Ghadoor in Mondol district of Nuristan province, said provincial spokesman Mohammad Zareen.
“We are not sure how many died and how many survived,’’ he said. “There is no rescue team there yet.’’
Avalanches are common in the mountainous northern provinces, but extremely heavy snowfall this year has resulted in more than normal. At least 50 people died March 4 in a snowslide in Badakhshan province.
Tell them about global pfffft.
Zareen said that nearby villagers were working to try to locate victims and survivors in Monday’s avalanche. “It’s not enough,’’ he said. “We are calling for more help.’’
He said it is not possible to access the villages from Nuristan - that rescuers would have to go through neighboring Kunar or Laghman provinces to get to the area.
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