Two residents of the village of Roghich, which is subordinate to the northern city of Panjakent, were buried by an avalanche on January 14, according to the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CoES) under the Government of Tajikistan.

The body of one of them – 30-year-old Abdushafi Tilloyev – was already pulled out from snow, while the search operation for the body of the 20-year-old Maseho Orzouyev is still under way.  

A week ago, the CoES warned of the risk of avalanches, landslides and rockfalls in mountain areas. 

In early January, a series of avalanches occurred in Darvoz, Rushan, Shugnan and Ishkashim districts of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and in Ayni district of Sughd province.

Dozens of avalanches blocked in several place the Dushanbe-Khujand highway for several hours on January 11.

In January 2017, avalanches left seven dead in Tajikistan, including five killed by avalanches on the Dushanbe-Khujand highway and two killed by avalanches in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region.