KHOROG February 6, 2010, Asia-Plus – One person was killed in Gorno Badakhshan today afternoon as an avalanche caused by heavy snowfall hit a road that connects Khorog with the Ishkashim district.
According the GBAO emergency management agency, the tragedy took place in the Barzhir area, Shugnan district, 33rd kilometer of the road from Khorog to the Ishkashim district.
“A heavy truck KAMAZ was trapped under snow as the avalanche hit the area Saturday afternoon,” said the GBAO emergencies official Nourali Khailobekov, “The driver — resident of the Vahdat district Sherali Yusupov –was killed while trying to jump out of the truck. His passenger — local woman, who remained in the vehicle — survived.” The driver’s body was drug out, he said.
In the meantime, the city of Khorog and nearby areas did not have electricity from 10:00 from 12:00 as an avalanche damaged the power transmission line in the Suchon area in Shugnan.
Heavy snow on Friday night caused a series of avalanches that blocked in several places the highways from Khorog to the Ishkashim and Murgab districts as well as to Dushanbe. Local emergencies authorities are taking efforts to clear the roads.
According to Kishvar Navrouzshoyev, head of the Khorog meteorological station, a snow cover in the city of Khorog is 60 cm, in some areas of the Shugnan district – 92 cm, in Rushan – 34 cm, in Murgab and Ishkashim districts – up to 26 cm, and in Darvoz – 12 cm.
“The snowy weather is expected to last for several days, until February 15 and the avalanche risk remains high,” Navrouzshoyev said.
