At least seven people were killed in Tajikistan after a series of avalanches hit the country last weekends, Ms. Umeda Yusupova, a spokesman for the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) under the Government of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.
According to her, five people were killed by avalanches that hit the road connecting Dushanbe and Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd province and two others by avalanches that occurred in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO)
She added that following the avalanches, the country's authorities evacuated up to 800 people and 200 cars from the affected areas of the Dushanbe-Khujand highway.
A filed military hospital was reportedly set up on the 72nd kilometer of the Dushanbe-Khujand highway.
The Dushanbe-Khorog and Khorog-Murgab roads are still closed for traffic because of an avalanche hazard. A special commission for mitigation of the disaster effects has been set up in Gorno Badakhshan.
The Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense says the avalanche danger will remain in the country during the next three or four days.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has issued a special avalanche warning noting that avalanche risk remains high on the Dushanbe-Khuajnd, Dushanbe-Rasht-Lakhsh and Dushanbe-Khorog highways due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Interior Ministry advises people throughout much of the country to refrain from traveling to the avalanche zones.
Recall, heavy snowfalls caused more than 40 avalanches in Tajikistan last Saturday. In GBAO, avalanches caused by recent heavy snowfalls blocked the roads in several places.
Besides, about 200 were trapped by avalanches on the road connecting Dushanbe and Khujand.
Warmer temperatures have increased the risk of further avalanches in the country, where dozens of snow-slides have occurred over the past several days. People throughout much of the country are advised not to travel unnecessarily to mountain areas.
