Call to rescue marooned families in avalanche-hit areas

KABUL organizations on Saturday expressed concerns over inordinate delay of dispatching assistance to the people trapped in the avalanche-hit area in central Panjsher province.

The death toll from a series of avalanches and flash floods rose to 260 on Friday, with the bulk of deaths coming from central Panjsher province, where above 200 lost their lives, including women and children.

Ahmad Zaki, a civil society activist, said the number of causalities could soar because a large number of wounded and dead were still trapped under the snow and could not be retrieved.

The Afghan cabinet announced a three-day national mourning to express solidarity with families who lost their beloved ones to avalanches in several parts of the country, a statement from the Presidential Palace said on Saturday.

Mohammad Aslam Sayas, deputy chief of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said the army was distributing supplies to people in areas of Panjsher still unreachable by road.

“Helicopters are dropping medicines, blankets and other necessary items to remote areas of Panjsher,” Sayas said.

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