Heavy snowfall kills 14 in northern Afghanistan

Heavy snowfall and freezing weather have killed at least 14 people in the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan, a local official says.

“Two women and five children were among the 10 who died in Darzab district,” the provincial deputy governor, Abdul Rahman Mahmoudi, said on Wednesday.

He added that four others died when they lost their way home during a blizzard in Qush Tepa district.

The snowfall in Jowzjan started on Friday night and continued until Tuesday.

Mahmoudi went on to say that around 550 villages were not accessible due to the snowfall.

He also blamed Taliban militants for hampering emergency aid to affected people in the region.