Death toll of Afghan avalanche rises to 70

KABUL, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of heavy snow and avalanche in Salang Pass in northern Afghanistan's Parwan province rose to 70, a private TV channel reported Wednesday.

"The dead body of over 70 people including women and children have been retrieved so far but our assessment shows some 30 more body are still under the snow," Tolo television quoted Mohammad Basir Salangi the governor of Parwan as saying.

There is constant coordination between rescue teams consisted of Afghan National Security forces and medical teams of ministry of public health to rescue more people on the site, he said. Connecting Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul to the northern region, the mountainous area of Salang Pass has often claimed the lives of passengers over the past years.