12 killed in avalanche in East Afghanistan

Kabul: An avalanche in a remote mountainous corner of northeast Afghanistan killed at least 12 people, a provincial spokesperson said Monday. Another nine were injured.

One person was missing after the late Sunday avalanche near the Pakistani border, said Najibullah Hanif, who heads Kunar province's information and culture department. The landslide followed a day of heavy snow.

Afghans from nearby villages rushed to help and were followed by officials, said Hanif, noting that district officials sent rescue teams to the remote area early Monday.

Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan after the Taliban swept into Afghanistan in mid-August hoping to head off a rush of refugees.

The country already hosts nearly 2 million Afghans who fled four decades of relentless war.

Unofficial border crossings are frequent, even as Pakistan has almost completed a fence along the 2,670 kilometers (1,660-mile) length of the border separating the two nations.