Afghan Avalanche Toll Reaches 46

Officials say heavy snow and avalanches in Afghanistan’s far northeast have killed at least 46 people since last week.

President Hamid Karzai has declared an emergency in mountainous Badakhshan province and promised a relief fund of $160,000.

A statement from Karzai’s office on Tuesday quoted provincial officials with the updated death toll and said 60 had been injured by avalanches.

Afghanistan’s harsh winters and mountainous terrain make avalanches an annual danger. Last year, at least 171 people died in an avalanche at the Salang Pass, the major route through the Hindu Kush mountains connecting the Afghan capital of Kabul to the north of the country.