# Avalanche in Pakistan and snowstorms in Afghanistan kill at least 20 people
Event date: 2026-01-23
Severe winter weather killed at least 20 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan on January 23, 2026, with the dead split between an avalanche in Pakistan's northwest and snowstorms that swept through several Afghan provinces, according to reporting from the Associated Press. The combined toll underscored how quickly seasonal storms can turn lethal across mountainous areas already vulnerable to isolation and transport disruption.
In Pakistan, the avalanche struck in Chitral district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. Emergency workers spent hours digging through heavy snow before recovering the bodies of all nine victims from a single family. AP said the dead included four women. Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson cited in the report, described a prolonged rescue effort before crews were able to pull the victims from under the snow.
The same weather system also disrupted travel elsewhere in Pakistan. The season's first heavy snowfall blocked several roads leading to Murree, a hill station northeast of Islamabad, and stranded thousands of tourists. Authorities told people to avoid traveling there and closed all roads in the area to help rescue teams evacuate those already trapped. Massive traffic jams formed outside Islamabad as some travelers refused to turn back despite official warnings.
Officials in Punjab province said heavy equipment was being used to clear snow and help stranded visitors. The response reflected the sensitivity of winter travel around Murree since January 2022, when at least 22 tourists died, mostly from hypothermia, after becoming stuck in their vehicles during a major storm. AP's account placed the new closures against that recent history of fatal winter gridlock.
Across the border in Afghanistan, a heavy snowstorm and freezing rain the previous day killed 11 people in six provinces, according to the country's disaster management agency. Spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Hammad said roads were cut off, villages were isolated and key transport corridors were blocked. Among the routes shut was the Salang Pass, a crucial high-altitude crossing that links Kabul with northern Afghanistan.
Afghan authorities said local officials had been directed to use all available resources to reach affected communities and provide food and other assistance. The AP report did not suggest that communication and transport links had been fully restored. The clearest verified picture is one of simultaneous weather emergencies in neighboring countries: a family buried in Pakistan, communities isolated in Afghanistan, tourists stranded near Islamabad and authorities on both sides of the border racing to reopen roads and reach people before the cold caused even more casualties.
