Women among 11 killed in Ghazni snowstorm

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok) Local officials on Wednesday said nearly a dozen people, including five women, had died in recent heavy snowfalls in southern Ghazni province.

Azizullah Azimi, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the snowfall caused both life and financial losses in the province.

He said seven people including two women had died in Jaghori district. The victims were heading to hospital when stuck in snow on their way and lost their lives to severe cold, he added.

Two women in Malistan, one in Waghaz and a man in Dahyak districts also lost their lives to freezing weather and snowstorm, Azimi said

Snow cleaning contracts had been signed with a number of private companies to keep roads clear of snow between districts and the provincial capital, he said.

However, provincial Natural Disasters Management Authority head, Hafizullah Gulistani, said five people had died in snow-related incident based on reports they had received.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Council secretary, Hassan Reza Yousufi, confirmed life and financial losses in recent snowstorms and asked the government to pay distribute aid to affected families.

A day earlier, President Ashraf Ghani said about 160 people died and around 400 houses destroyed as a result of recent snowstorms and avalanches across the country.

pk/mds/ma