Key Badghis pass reopens after 2-day closure

QALA-I-NAW (PAN): The Sabzak Pass, connecting northwestern Badghis province with western Herat, reopened for traffic after a two-day blockade due to heavy snowfall and avalanches, officials said on Tuesday.

The pass, 80 kilometers from the provincial capital Qala-i-Naw, was cleared of snow by a private firm and the Spanish provincial reconstruction team, Abdul Ghani Sabir, an official at the governor’s house, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the pass had been allowed to move, he said.

Ghulam Yahya Aslami, an official of the snow-clearing firm, said although they had cleared the road, it could be blocked again by avalanches falling from the mountains.

“There is a lot of snow on top of the mountains surrounding the pass, which could be closed again as the weather becomes warm,” he added.

Fakhruddin, a driver, said vehicles were allowed to resume their journey at 6:30am on Tuesday. He urged the authorities to take precautionary measures against possible avalanches.

A governor’s house official, Abdul Ghani Sabiri, said they planned to extend the contract with the company to keep the pass open. He added the contract would expire on March 5, but it would be renewed in consultation with the public works department.

mds/ma/mud

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