Avalanches caused by heavy snow have killed at least 16 people in Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan region.
Umeda Yusufi, spokeswoman of the Committee for Emergencies, said on February 16 that 13 of the victims were killed in the regional capital, Khorugh, where avalanches destroyed or damaged dozens of buildings a day earlier, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The spokesperson added that two residents of the village of Ishkashim are missing as rescue works in the region continue.
Mountains cover 93 per cent of the Central Asian nation's territory, and avalanches and mudslides kill dozens of people every year.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
