Hunt for Tajik avalanche victims

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Rescuers in Tajikistan are trying to reach people trapped by an avalanche that killed at least 16 people.

The avalanche hit the main highway linking Dushanbe, the capital of the mountainous Central Asian republic, to the second city Khudzhand.

Dozens of cars remain buried under snow, but the number of people trapped is not clear.

The Dushanbe-Khudzhand road is used by lorries carrying goods from China. Avalanches are common along the route.

The road is often closed in the winter, but it stayed open this year thanks to the new Anzob tunnel, which goes under a snow-covered pass.

Communication lost

There have been heavy snow storms across this part of Central Asia and one driver who recently came back from the border with China said the road had become exceptionally dangerous.

A Tajik government spokesman said those killed had ignored warnings about the danger of possible avalanches.

But the BBC's Central Asia correspondent, Natalia Antelava, says much of the economy of this impoverished region relies on trade with China, so many drivers say they have no choice but to take the risk.

Police say that one of the drivers managed to make a phone call from his mobile but after that all communication was lost.