This morning, The Guardian is reporting 180 Afghans are dead following the worst avalanches in 30 years.

“We haven’t seen this much snow, or this many avalanches, for 30 years,”

Northeast provinces have been hit with heavy snow fall in the past two days; leaving 3 feet in some places. This has resulted in massive avalanches, sweeping over homes, blocking roads and cutting power in some areas. As of yesterday, the province hit the hardest was the Panjshir province. Panjshir has one main road which runs up the belly of the entire region. On either side of the road, mountains shoot up on either side. The valley sits around 6500 feet, and some surrounding mountains rise to over 16,000 feet.

“We haven’t seen this much snow, or this many avalanches, for 30 years,” said Abdul Rahman Kabiri, acting governor of the Panjshir province.

Most villages are nestled into the lower elevation of the valley, making the spring run off a viable water source for farming, however, when hit with heavy snowfall, the location can be deadly.

Rescue efforts are slowly making their way to villages, but with road blockages and little heavy equipment, progress is slow. Many are digging out friends and family with their bare hands and shovels.

The snow is expected to continue for two more days. Evacuation plans are slowly taking place.