Tuesday, February 21, 2012 -
Bad weather caused hundreds of drivers on a Tajik highway to be stranded, after an avalanche blocked traffic and blocked motorists’ capacity to exit the area.
Motorists were traveling on the Dushanbe-Chanak highway when they were caught in a snowdrift caused by an avalanche, the Avesta.tj news agency reported on Tuesday.
“This is the third day,” one motorist phoning the news agency said.
“We cannot move, all roads are blocked by snow...Because of the difficult situation and very low temperature, some drivers abandoned their cars and are on foot, risking their lives to get to the Varzob district.”
The motorist told Avesta that no casualties have been reported as a result of the avalanche.
The highway is now closed from the Gushari village to the Istiqlol tunnel.
Around 200 people are stuck at this section of the highway.
Government rescue services are sending food and supplies to the stranded motorists as they wait for the road to be cleared.