Some of the victims were apparently trying to reach Pakistan. Najibullah Hassan Abdal, head of information for eastern Kunar province, told AFP rescue workers were still searching at the scene of the avalanche. /DW/

File Photo: At least 19 people were killed by an avalanche on Monday while crossing a remote mountain pass from Afghanistan to Pakistan, a Taliban official said. AFP

File Photo: Scores of Afghans cross illegally to Pakistan every day through the porous mountain border in search of jobs or to buy essential goods for trade. AFP

Illegal traffic across the Pakistan-Afghan border has soared since the Taliban returned to power in August, plunging the country into a severe crisis with tens of thousands of people made jobless. DAP

File Photo: Traders and smugglers have for centuries used well-trodden remote mountain passes to criss-cross the territories and avoid paying taxes. But deadly avalanches are common in the area. In 2015 more than 250 people were killed across the country in a series of devastating avalanches. AFP