(9 Feb 2010)
Salang pass
1. Tracking shot from car of vehicles at side of road, one damaged
2. Dead body on roadside, filmed from passing car
3. Back of bus, people rushing
4. Passengers loading luggage into bus
5. Tracking shot of cars part-buried in snow
6. Various of men dressing wounds of an avalanche survivor
7. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Abdul Hamid, survivor of avalanche:
"I was coming from Takhar province. We have been stuck here since 2 in the morning. Police helped us and moved us to a safe location."
8. Various of rescue helicopter
Kabul
9. Wide of news conference
10. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan Defence Minister:
"About 2,500 people have been rescued. Some of them have been moved to hospitals. The rescue operation is on-going now and will go on tomorrow as well."
11. Mid of Afghan Army officers
12. Mid shot end of news conference
STORYLINE:
Avalanches on a mountain pass north of Kabul have killed at least 28 people, with another 1,500 stranded in their vehicles on snow-blocked roads, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.
The Afghan Defence Ministry said around 2,500 people have been rescued, and some of them transported to hospitals, as the military and police continued rescue efforts to dig out those trapped in the snow.
The avalanches took place on Monday following heavy snows in the Salang Pass that links the Afghan capital with the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan Defence Minister, said on Tuesday in Kabul that "The rescue operation is on-going now and will go on tomorrow as well."
According to a minister at Salang, a strong snowstorm overnight triggered a major avalanche that covered about 2 miles (3.5 kilometres) of road.
He said there was a series of smaller avalanches in the area in recent weeks, but Monday night brought a big snowstorm in which drivers had no visibility beyond 2 yards (2 metres).
Soldiers, police and local people were all trying to help in the rescue efforts.
Despite major efforts to clear the road on Tuesday, he estimated another mile (1.5 kilometres) of road remained cut off.
Some 500 Afghan soldiers were mobilised to join police and others in the rescue efforts.
"Police helped us and moved us to a safe location," said Abdul Hamid, a survivor of the avalanche who said he had been stuck on the pass since 2 o''clock.
The international coalition contributed four Chinook helicopters while the army sent two choppers, several ambulances and several bulldozers, the Afghan National Army announced.
Military helicopters were dropping food packages to people stuck on snow-blocked roads, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemerai Bashary said.
Earlier, Afghan reports said some 300 cars and buses were trapped on the mountain pass.
In a statement, President Hamid Karzai ordered the ministries of public works, defence and disaster control to "use all possible means to get the roads unblocked and rescue those trapped and stranded in the heavy snow."
He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims who were killed or injured.
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