15 killed in Pakistan avalanches and heavy rain

PESHAWAR: At least 13 people were killed and 20 homes destroyed by avalanches and heavy rain which struck northwest Pakistan on Sunday, officials said.

An avalanche smashed into the village of Shershal in Chitral district, killing nine people including four women and four children.

It hit eight homes at around 3:00 am, said Sheema Ayub Khan, a spokeswoman for the Disaster Management Authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The region has been hit by heavy snowfall that is four feet (1.2 metres) deep in some places.

Six people who had been trapped beneath the snow were rescued.

Shahab Hameed, a senior administration official in the area, confirmed the death toll, adding that most of the area´s roads had been blocked.

"We are trying to reopen the roads and help people," he said.

A separate avalanche killed a soldier at a border checkpoint in Chitral district, a military statement said, while six more soldiers were injured.

Chitral district mayor Maghfriat Shah said the city´s airport was shut because of the weather.

Another local official Muhammad Ilyas told AFP people in the worst-hit area were facing medicine and food shortages because of road closures and flight cancellations.

The region´s electricity supply was also disrupted after the main transmission line was damaged.

In the Khyber tribal district on the Afghan border in the northwest, three infant girls were killed and two women injured when the roof of their house collapsed in heavy rain, said local administration official Niaz Mohammed.

Severe weather hits Pakistan every year, with avalanches in winter and flash floods in summer.