Death toll rises to 15 in avalanche-hit Tajikistan

A series of avalanches have killed five more people in eastern Tajikistan, the Central Asian nation's government has said, bringing the death toll over the past two days to 15 and forcing hundreds of families from their homes.

Thursday's statement came after most of the avalanches hit the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region, which borders China and Afghanistan, and where more than 400 households have been relocated away from dangerous areas.

Avalanches have hit homes as well as roads, the government said, and all international traffic has been suspended.

The mayor of provincial capital Khorog, Rizo Nazarzoda, urged its 30,000 residents to stay at home as heavy snow and rain fell.

Over 90 percent of the Central Asian territory consists of mountains where avalanches and mudslides kill dozens of people every year. 

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