Avalanches kill at least 15 in Tajikistan 

Dushanbe, Feb. 16, (dpa/GNA) - Avalanches have killed at least 15 people in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan, the civil defence agency said on Thursday. 

In the eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region on the border with Kyrgyzstan and China, 14 people were killed, including several children. 

A driver died after being buried under snow in his vehicle on a mountain road not far from the capital Dushanbe. 

A total of 12 people have been rescued alive in recent avalanches that struck across the mountainous nation, the agency said. One person is missing. 

Tajik authorities sounded the alarm earlier this week, warning that avalanches were likely amid ongoing heavy snowfall. 

GNA