DUSHANBE, 05.01.2022 (NIAT Khovar) – Traffic on the Dushanbe-Chanak road has resumed, reports the IRS branch in Tajikistan.

Employees of the company have cleared the road in both directions between Dushanbe and Khujand.

Snowfall has increased in the highlands of Tajikistan in recent days. Rescuers warned that an avalanche situation had developed on the Dushanbe-Chanak mountain route, which is the most important connecting route between northern and southern Tajikistan.

The traffic police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to close the road.

IRS spokesman Daler Abdullo said that avalanches on this route have increased.

“If yesterday there were 14 avalanches, now their number is 17. The height of the avalanche in some places is 15 meters,” Abdullo said.

According to him, on January 3, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, as well as local authorities of the Varzob district arrived at the avalanche site.

“Two cars were caught in an avalanche and the passengers were rescued by IRS employees. Nobody was killed or injured. In total, about 25 cars were stuck in the avalanche zone,” said Abdullo.

According to him, traffic in both directions in the Ayni and Varzob districts was stopped on January 3.

The IRS branch is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the 358-kilometer Dushanbe-Chanak road.