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At least 19 people were killed on Monday in an avalanche as they tried to cross a mountain range between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a local Taliban official said.
Many groups of people were trying to cross the border when the avalanche occured, Najibullah Hassan Abdal, director of information and culture for Kunar province (eastern Afghanistan), told AFP.
“Nineteen bodies have been identified so far and rescuers are currently searching for other victims and possible survivors”, he added.
Many Afghans try to cross the mountainous border with Pakistan every day in search of work, necessities or trade.
The number of transit efforts has risen sharply since the country sank into a humanitarian crisis following the return of the Taliban in August.
Unemployment has skyrocketed and many civil servants have not been paid for months. Pakistan is completing the construction of a fence to protect its 2,670-kilometer border with Afghanistan, along the Durand Line, drawn by the former British colonial administration.
Traders and traffickers have been using mountain paths between the two countries for centuries to cross from one to the other without paying taxes. This despite the dangers in this area, where avalanches are common. In 2015, at least 250 people were killed in a series of deadly avalanches in Afghanistan.
