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More than 130 dead as avalanches and floods hit Pakistan, Afghanistan and adjacent state of India

 Ns news Online Desk: Ns news Online Desk: World facing Hot and cold disasters at this moment-

More than 130 dead as avalanches and floods hit Pakistan and Afghanistan Natural disasters and extreme weather Avalanches, flooding and harsh winter weather have killed more than 130 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan and left others stranded by heavy snowfall.

At least 93 people died and 76 were injured across Pakistan in recent days – with several still missing – while a further 39 were killed in Afghanistan, officials in both countries said on Tuesday. Forecasts suggest more harsh weather is on the way.

Pakistani Kashmir was the worst-hit area, with 62 people killed and 10 others missing, the state disaster management authority said in a statement.In Kashmir’s picturesque but conflict-riven Neelum Valley, heavy snowfall triggered several avalanches, including one that hit a village and killed at least 19 people. “Ten people are still missing,” the disaster authority said.

Frequent avalanches and landslides occur in Kashmir during winter, often blocking roads and leaving communities isolated.Authorities have shuttered schools, while several highways and roads were closed across the country’s mountainous northern areas.

“The severe snowfalls and landslides in AJK have caused misery & deaths,” tweeted Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, referring to the part of Kashmir controlled by Islamabad.
To the south-west, in Balochistan province, at least 31 people have been killed in separate weather-related incidents.

“Most of those who died were women and children,” said an official with the provincial disaster management authority, adding that hundreds remained stranded. Across the border in Afghanistan, more than 300 houses were either destroyed or partially damaged throughout the country, said a spokesman for the natural disaster management authority. “A cold snap, heavy snowfall and rains that started two weeks ago have caused damage. Most casualties were caused after roofs collapsed under thick snow, In Herat, seven people – all members of the same family and including  children – died when their roof caved in. Harsh winters often take a heavy toll in mountainous Afghanistan, and the country remains poor despite billions of dollars in aid from the international community.

On the other side of Indian-administered Kashmir, avalanches triggered by heavy snowfall killed at least 12 people, including six soldiers.Officials said army men and a paramilitary soldier died in two separate avalanches along the highly militarized border dividing the Himalayan territory between India and Pakistan.“Five army soldiers and a border security force personnel were killed in the snow avalanches on the Line of Control,” Srinagar-based army spokesperson told. Separately, a top official from Kashmir’s civil administration said six people were killed after their house came under a massive snow avalanche in the northern part of the valley, which saw heavy snow in recent days.W

In India’s adjacent state of Himachal Pradesh, an avalanche buried an elderly person alive, while three others died in landslides, officials cited by the Press Trust of India said.

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