Reuters01/19/2004By [Printer Friendly Version]
Kabul - Two Afghan aid workers were killed when an avalanche struck a key highway linking the capital Kabul with the country's north, a United Nations spokesman said on Sunday.
Manoel Almeida e Silva said the Salang tunnel on Hinduksh mountains was closed after the blizzard caused by snowfall hit the area earlier this week.
He told a news briefing that the two Afghan employees of the French aid group, ACTED, were killed while patrolling the tunnel, some 120 km (75 miles) north of Kabul.
Hundreds of Afghans use the Kabul-Salang highway every day and the tunnel is often blocked by snowfalls in winters which also cause some damage and causalities.
Last year several people were killed by an avalanche, which led to the stranding of hundreds of passengers.