Iranian avalanche death toll rises

Reports from Iran say that at least thirty people are now known to have died in an avalanche two days ago which blocked a mountain road in northern Iran.

One report said about eighty others were in a critical condition.

The Iranian news agency said rescue workers, who had so far pulled out one bus, and several other vehicles buried in the snow, were continuing the search for more bodies.

The agency said the road, which runs between the capital, Tehran, and the Caspian coast, had been hit by more than two hundred snowfalls in the past week.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service