Heavy Snow and Rain Kill at Least 14 in Afghanistan, Roads Closed

Heavy snow and rain across Afghanistan have killed at least 14 people, collapsed homes and closed key highways, officials said, as severe weather continues.

At least 11 people were killed in several Afghanistan provinces after heavy snow and rain over the past day, a Taliban disaster management spokesman said on Thursday.

Mohammad Yousuf Hamad said the fatalities were reported in Kandahar, Parwan, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Jawzjan and Faryab, adding that nine houses were damaged and about 500 livestock killed.

In Nuristan province, local officials said three children died after the roof of a house collapsed following intense rainfall, while another child and a woman were injured.

Authorities in Kandahar also confirmed that six children were killed in the Dand district when a house roof gave way during the storms.

Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly floods, landslides and storms, particularly in remote areas where weak infrastructure increases vulnerability to extreme weather.

Seasonal disasters have been worsened by years of conflict, poor construction standards and limited disaster-response capacity, leaving many communities exposed.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall and strong winds have forced the closure of several major highways, including the strategic Salang Pass linking northern and central Afghanistan.

Taliban officials said snow depth in Salang has reached up to four metres in the north and nearly three metres in the south, hampering clearance operations.

The weather department has warned of further heavy rain, snowfall and strong winds in several eastern and northeastern provinces in the coming days.

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