Afghan avalanche kills 165

Villagers, rescue workers and soldiers used bulldozers and shovels to try and free thousands trapped in one of the country's most deadly natural disasters in recent years.

Witnesses said the cascades of snow had swept at least two buses and nine cars from the 12,700 ft Salang Pass into a valley floor below on Monday.

Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan's acting public health minister, said another 135 people had been injured by the avalanches.

Officials said 1.6 miles of road had been cleared and 2,600 people had been rescued.

The Russian-built pass carries the highway between Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and has become an important Nato supply route as convoys try to avoid attacks in the Khyber Pass.

Fourteen of the rescued survivors had been trapped in a bus and snow had smashed through the windows, said Abdul Basir Salangi, governor of Parwan province.