The United Nations has urged urgent assistance as heavy snowfall continues across Afghanistan, with UNICEF warning that worsening weather is compounding the suffering of children affected by recent earthquakes in the east of the country.
UNICEF expressed concern that snowfall has intensified an already dire humanitarian situation, while Taliban authorities reported deaths, injuries and the closure of major transport routes due to severe weather conditions.
Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas said two people were killed and 12 others injured as a result of avalanches and severe storms in the Do Shakh area of the Salang Pass. He said the Salang highway and several other major routes remain closed to traffic, adding that snow-clearing operations are under way in multiple locations.
Taliban officials in Herat also reported that the Herat–Kandahar highway has been closed to all vehicles because of icy conditions. Storms and strong winds continued in some areas on Friday, particularly in South Salang. The Taliban urged citizens and drivers to avoid travelling on impassable routes.
In a post on X, UNICEF said: “Heavy snowfall overnight has made an already dire situation even harder for children in eastern Afghanistan affected by the earthquake. We are responding with continued services, but the needs are growing fast, and more support is urgently needed.”
Heavy snowfall has caused widespread human and financial losses. Afghanistan’s state-run electricity company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, said on Thursday that the imported power line from Uzbekistan along the Pul-e-Khumri–Kabul route had been cut.
The Taliban said on Thursday that the nationwide death toll from heavy snowfall and rainfall has risen to at least 14.
