Avalanches kill 4, destroy 30 houses in Afghanistan's northern province

Four family members have been killed and 30 houses destroyed as avalanches struck two villages in Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province, a local official said on Thursday.

According to Mawlawi Mohammad Akram Akbari, provincial government director for natural disaster management and humanitarian affairs, the provincial government has sent cash and relief items in humanitarian aid to the affected areas to help needy families after the avalanches occurred on Wednesday in the province's Kofab district.

Heavy snowfall, freezing weather and avalanches have killed nearly 200 people including children across Afghanistan over the past month, with more than 30 deaths reported in Badakhshan province alone.