At least 157 people have been killed in a series of avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul, trapping hundreds more in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said Wednesday. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said rescuers have recovered the 157 bodies from the Salang Pass, a key road that connects the Afghan capital with the north, over the past two days. At a press conference in Kabul, Bashary said 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) of road have been cleared for ambulances, bulldozers and other road-clearing equipment to get through. About 2,600 people have been rescued so far, he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. A series of avalanches that began Monday along the 12,700-feet-high (3,800-meter) pass closed off roads and stranded hundreds of people in snowbound vehicles. Some of the victims were found frozen to death inside their vehicles, while in other cases, their bodies were strewn along the road, he said. More than two dozen avalanches hit the pass, blocking 2.1 miles (3.5 kilometers) of road and burying hundreds of vehicles. Some 400 police, along with 100 local volunteers, have been involved in the frantic effort to dig out survivors in the last 24 hours, he said.
