The death toll from debilitating avalanches in Afghanistan soared to 166 on Wednesday. Hundreds more remain trapped in snowbound cars.

The death toll from debilitating avalanches in Afghanistan soared to 166 on Wednesday. Hundreds more remain trapped in snowbound cars.

Helicopters ferried rescuers to the site and removed bodies from the massive snow slides, which have blocked an important mountain pass north of Kabul.

Taking advantage of clear and sunny weather, emergency workers reached dozens of stranded people on Wednesday morning, including seven children whose mother had died.

The country's Interior Ministry said later in the day that about 2,600 people have been saved so far, and the rescue operation is "95 percent over." President Hamid Karzai expressed his sorrow over the rising death toll.