By Our Correspondents

KABUL/ISLAMABAD - Heavy snowfall and torrential rains have wreaked havoc across Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, leaving 71 dead, over hundred injured, and thousands stranded, officials said on Saturday.

In Afghanistan, at least 61 people have died and 110 others were injured after intense snow and rain battered 15 provinces, including Kabul, Parwan, Panjshir, Ghazni, Maidan Wardag, Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, and surrounding areas, according to Hafiz Muhammad Yousaf Hamad, spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).

In a statement, he added that 61 people so far were killed and 110 injured during the last three day.

Hamad said roads in hilly and mountainous areas have been blocked by heavy snow, hampering rescue and relief operations.

Authorities are struggling to reopen major routes and provide emergency supplies to affected communities. He added that 458 houses have been destroyed, displacing 360 families.

The Salang Highway, a key artery connecting northern and southern Afghanistan, remains closed, leaving travelers stranded in freezing conditions. Emergency teams have delivered food and essential supplies to people trapped on mountain passes in central provinces like Bamyan, while warning residents to avoid unnecessary travel in snow-affected regions.

The snowfall and rain crisis is not limited to Afghanistan. Across the border in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, severe winter weather has also created life-threatening conditions.

On Friday, 10 people were killed in Chitral district due to snow-related incidents, while thousands of residents remain stranded in Tirah Valley, local authorities said. Roads and mountain passes in the region have been blocked by snow, forcing the provincial administration to deploy rescue teams and distribute food to stranded communities.

Officials in both countries have described the situation as one of the worst winter emergencies in recent years, highlighting the vulnerability of mountainous regions during peak snowfall. In Afghanistan, authorities are coordinating with police, and regional disaster management agencies to provide relief, while in Pakistan, local disaster management authorities and rescue teams continue operations amid ongoing snowfall.

The combination of heavy rain and snow has disrupted daily life, leaving schools closed, cutting off electricity in some regions, and threatening livestock and infrastructure. Experts warn that unless the weather improves, casualty figures could rise, particularly in remote and high-altitude areas where access is extremely difficult.

Authorities in both countries have urged residents to stay indoors, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow official warnings while rescue teams continue to work around the clock to evacuate stranded residents and deliver emergency relief.

The severe winter weather comes amid ongoing concerns over climate change impacts in South and Central Asia, with increasingly unpredictable snowstorms and rainfall intensifying risks to lives, property, and local economies.