Scores killed in Afghanistan avalanche

An avalanche has destroyed a village in north-eastern Afghanistan, local authorities said today, with scores feared dead.

Deputy governor of Badakhshan province Shams Ul Rahman said that 37 people have been confirmed dead but that he expects the toll to rise.

The avalanche occurred on Sunday night in Darwaz district. He says it took government officials in the provincial capital of Faizabad 11 hours to drive to the remote area.

People from nearby villages uncovered 37 bodies, but the recovery work continues.

He says 200 people lived in the village and that initial reports are that only three women and one child survived.