DUSHANBE, February 27, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- An avalanche killed six people in the Maikhoura area, Varzob district on Thursday, according to the Committee for emergency Situations (CES).

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the CES staff chef Mahmadullo Halimov said the avalanche occurred yesterday morning after several days of heavy snowfall and hit the 71st kilometer of the highway from Dushanbe to Khujand.

“The bodies have been dug out,” Halimov said, noting that warmer temperatures have increased the risk of further avalanches in the country.