Avalanches kill dozens in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Avalanches in an area north of Kabul killed at least two dozen people and buried about two miles of road in snow, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The Afghan government said it deployed 500 soldiers to Salang Pass, a high-altitude road that goes into the mountains, The New York Times reported.

The avalanches occurred Monday and Tuesday.

Afghan Interior Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar said 24 people were confirmed dead and another 40 people were missing and feared dead. He said 128 wounded people were evacuated to hospitals.

Travelers were trapped in their vehicles on either side of the pass, IRIN reported.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force dispatched two helicopters to help evacuate people and airdrop supplies, Afghanistan officials said.

"We are trying our best to evacuate about 700 people as soon as possible," Abdul Matin Edrak, Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority director, told Integrated Regional Information Networks.

The Public Health Ministry said ambulances and dozens of health workers had been sent to the scene.