Afghanistan: at least 37 people killed by an avalanche in Badakhshan province

At least 37 people have been killed by an avalanche in Badakhshan province, north-eastern Afghanistan, according to officials.

The provincial governor’s office said another six people were injured when the snow hit a village in Shekay district, near the Tajikistan border.

The village had been wiped away, said spokesman Abdul Marouf Rasikh.

Badakhshan is one of the country’s poorest and most remote regions and is shut off by heavy snow every year.

The village had been severely affected by the cold weather, said Abdul Marouf Rasikh, and governor Shah Wali Ullah had been visiting at the time.

“The governor was trapped with those six injured but was rescued by helicopters and taken to a remote area on the border with Tajikistan,” said Abdul Marouf Rasikh.