A series of avalanches have blocked in several places the road connecting Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), and Ishkashim district, according to the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CoES) under the Government of Tajikistan.  

“The work on clearing the road of snow is under way, but heavy snowfall makes the work of road builders and rescuers difficult,” Ms. Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the CoES, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According her, even specialists find it difficult to say when the Khorog-Ishkashim road will be open for traffic.   

While most roads are open for traffic, people throughout Tajikistan are being advised not to travel to mountain areas unnecessarily as the risk of further avalanches and rockfalls remains until January 20.