Traffic along the Dushanbe-Khujand highway is restricted while the road connecting Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), and the Ishkashim district is still closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall and snow-slides.
Warmer temperatures have increased the risk of further avalanches in the country, the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan said, noting that 48 avalanches occurred in the mountain areas on Monday alone.
“Traffic along the Dushanbe-Khujand highway is currently restricted as heavy snowfall on March 4 caused a series of avalanches that blocked in several places the highway. Special machines of the Ministry of Transport and the Innovative Road Solutions (IRS) are working at the avalanche sites in order to increase the highway capacity,” Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
According to her, the most serious situation is currently in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) as well as in Tojikobod (Rasht Valley) and Varzob districts, where 76 avalanches occurred on Sunday alone.
“The road connecting the GBAO administrative center Khorog and the Ishkashim district is still closed to traffic,” Yusufi noted.
The Emergencies Committee advises people not to travel to the mountain areas unnecessarily.
In case of emergencies, people can call the Emergencies Committee duty officer by the following phone numbers: 93 880 28 19; 221-91-19; and 223-13-11.
