7 die as snow, rains lash Kunar, Nuristan
09 February, 2013
ASADABAD: Seven people, including two women, were killed and four others, including two children, were injured as continuous heavy snowfall and rains destroyed 73 homes in eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Friday. A woman was killed and her three other family members, including two children, were injured in a roof collapse incident in the Shigal district of Kunar province following heavy rains, Governor Syed Fazlullah Wahidi said. In a similar incident in the Chapar Dara district, a man was killed, he told Pajhwok Afghan News, saying rains had so far destroyed a total of 73 houses in Kunar. In neighbouring Nuristan, up to two metres of snow was measured in Paroon, the provincial capital and 1.5 metres in other districts, police chief Col. Ghulamullah Nuristani, said. He said a woman and her spouse were killed when the roof of a flour grinding mill collapsed in the Mangur area of Mandol district due to heavy snowing. The police chief said efforts were in place to clear roads from now in districts, but only one snow-removing machine was involved in the process. "So it would take up to 45 days to unblock all roads," he said, adding the problem had been shared with the central government, but it was yet to extend any help. Nuristani said road blockades sent food prices soaring. The rate of a 50-kg bag of flour soared from 1,000 afghanis to 2,500afs, he said, fearing the situation could further worsen if timely assistance was not provided. End.
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