Afghan official confirmed that more than 135 people wounded in the snowstorms and a huge number of people are still left in the snowstorm.
Spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior announced on last night’s press conference that snowstorms in Salang passage have killed 175 people and wounded 135 people. The spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Zamray Bashiri told to the press conference 102 vehicles have destroyed in the incident.
Provincial governor of northern Parwan province, Basir Salangi said that the victims of the snowstorms have been transferred to the Parwan hospital and to the U.S. forces field hospital in Bagram. “Operation is still going on and we are trying to find the dead bodies with dogs”, said governor of Parwan province.
He said that 175 people were killed and around 160 people wounded in the recent snowstorms in Salang passage. The spokesperson for the Afghan Defense Ministry, General Zahir Azimi said Afghan army has installed a mobile clinic in the passage so to treat the wounded citizens.
Before that Afghan Interior Minister, Mohammad Hanif Atmar said that rescue teams found 24 dead bodies and 128 wounded and took them all to the Parwan hospital. Afghan Defense Minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak also said that rescue teams saved 3,000 people and 180 of the wounded people have been taken to the Bagram hospital by the ISAF troopers.
Official announced that they succeed to clear three kilometers of the road and they are still working on to open the road and rescue the rest of the people, but heavy snow and storms causing obstacle for the rescue teams and forcing them to setback and cancel their rescue operations due to the bad weather.
Meanwhile, the head of the Maintenance Department of Salang passage, General Rajab said that 500 people have been saved by rescue teams. “The maintenance teams are still working hard to clean the way and it seems a number of vehicles are still left among the snowstorm”, Gen.Rajab said.
President Hamid Karzai in his decree, ordered the Afghan officials to clear the way and help the victims of the incident in Salang passage. In a separate incident in southern Kandahar province, Afghan National Army choppers rescued at least 250 villagers, official in Kandahar said.
According to the officials, 250 villagers in Panjwai district of Kandahar surrounded in flood, but they rescued by Afghan army. In a separate incident in the same province, two Toyota model cars fall into a river in Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar.
Kandahar governor, Toryali Wesa told to media that two civilian cars fall into the river and Afghan army and police found 6 dead bodies and 1 wounded man.According to Kandahar governor, 13 people are still missing and rescue team is working hard to find them.