At least 15 dead in avalanche in eastern Afghanistan

At least 15 bodies have been recovered after an avalanche hit Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Monday.

Officials in Kunar province said that 20 people were hit by the snow in the avalanche in the province's Dangam district.

The head of the information and culture department in the province, Mawlawi Najibullah, told dpa that the avalanche occurred on Sunday evening in a mountainous area close to Pakistan.

Najibullah said the victims included villagers who were trying to rescue people but were trapped by the heavy snow.

The official said residents were trying to recover the bodies of those still missing. Some 15 to 20 people are still missing, according to a local elder.

There has been heavy snowfall in Afghanistan that led to the closure of transit routes leading to many districts, especially in underdeveloped provinces.

Last month, local media reported that at least five residents of Badakhshan province died due to heavy snow in the Raghistan district.