Snowstorm leaves dozens stranded on Kabul-Ghor road

FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): Dozens of passengers, trapped in snowstorm since last night at Bakak Pass on the Kabul-Ghor highway, on Monday appealed the authorities to rescue them urgently.

Mohammad, one of the stuck passengers, told Pajhwok Afghan News on the phone: “We are a caravan of five vehicles carrying 60 passengers, including women, children and sick people and are stuck in the lower part of Bakak pass”.

Abdul Karim, another passenger, said: “It has been snowing since last night, we wanted to go to Ghor, but trapped in snowstorm, we called the local officials several times, but no one came to our help, the weather is cold and the children and sick people are in worse situation”.

The stuck passengers called on local officials of Ghor and Bamyan provinces to rescue them by clearing the road of snow.

In Ghor, local officials said the snowfall has blocked the Ghor-Kabul highway and they allowed no one to travel on the highway until the weather improves.

Ziaulhaq Jundullah, the head of Transport Department of Ghor, told Pajhwok: “We do not allow any cars to travel on this rout because the weather is stormy, the stuck cars that came from Kabul can return to Yakaw Lang district, while our road-clearing machinery is there, as soon as the weather becomes better, we will clear the road”.

The provincial officials of Ghor asked passengers to avoid travelling during snowy and stormy days.

Due to the blockade of the Kabul-Ghor highway by snow, six western districts of the province are cut off from the provincial capital.

aw/ma