Afghanistan avalanche leaves more than 100 dead, dozens missing

#Afghanistan #Panjshir #avalanche #salangpass #Kabul Termed as the worst avalanche in Afghanistan in the last 30 years, the latest reports of two avalanches in the Panjshir province has killed more than 100 and dozens of people are missing. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 25 February 2015.
The disaster was a result of avalanches triggered by two days of heavy snowfall in Afghanistan and the rescue teams are battling treacherous weather conditions as they try to reach those who may still be buried underneath the snow. The majority of the victims belonged to the northern Panjshir province. Snow has blocked main roads leading up to the affected villages and dozens of people continue to remain unaccounted for.
Provincial governor Abdul Rahman Kabiri has revealed that a 300-strong team of emergency workers had been sent to help, but lack of adequate tools was causing difficulties and hampering the operation because proper equipment is not available.
It is strange that in spite of so much international aid flowing to Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban, the country is still one of the poorest countries in the world and rescue operations get delayed due to lack of funding and infrastructure.
Apart from the deaths, at least 100 homes have also been destroyed and the blizzard has left parts of Kabul without electricity since power cables along the Salang Pass have been damaged.