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                     At Least 165 Dead in Afghan Avalanches

   by VOA News

   Afghanistan is struggling to reach people trapped and injured by
   avalanches caused by heavy snow in recent days.

   More than 165 people have died in the Panjshir Province, northeast of
   the capital Kabul, officials say. Several people are known to have been
   killed in other snow-bound areas.

   "Helicopters are dropping medicines, blankets and other necessary items
   to remote areas of the Panjshir, where the roads remain impassable
   because of the heavy snow," said Mohammad Aslam Syas, deputy chief of
   the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.

   The death count is expected to rise because of the severe snow
   conditions, authorities say.

   Local officials say they have not seen this much snow in 30 years.

   The snow storms follow what had been a dry winter which many Afghanis
   feared would lead to a drought.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/over-hundred-dead-afghan-avalanches/2
   661368.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/over-hundred-dead-afghan-avalanches/2661368.html