Avalanches, winter storm in Afghanistan leave 108 feared dead

An emergency official says at least 108 people are feared killed in Afghan avalanches amid a massive winter storm.

The avalanches buried homes Wednesday across four northeast provinces.

Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority, gave the death toll. He says some 100 homes were destroyed or damaged in Panjshir province alone. That's about 100 kilometres northeast of the capital, Kabul.

Large parts of Afghanistan have been covered in snow as a major storm interrupted an otherwise mild and dry winter. Avalanches are common in Afghanistan's mountainous north, where environmental degradation and lack of infrastructure exacerbate the impact of heavy snowfalls.