ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: United Nations on Thursday said more than 100 people, whose vehicles were stuck in the Salang tunnel near Kabul as a result of an avalanche, were rescued and three people suffocated to death inside the tunnel as bad weather hampered aid efforts.

Speaking at a news conference, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Araiana Yaftali, said the information about the incident remained sketchy as the number of people trapped by the avalanche or stuck inside the tunnel was not known. She said hundreds of vehicles journeyed every day through the tunnel linking the north and the south of the country, which was recently reopened after being cleared of unexploded ordnance and debris.

The spokesperson said the accident reportedly happened on Wednesday morning at Qabre Kleaner, close to the southern exit of the Salang Pass, some 100km north of Kabul.

The spokesperson said a UN de-mining team in nearby Charikari was immediately asked to proceed to the scene of the accident. However, due to bad weather and snowfall, they were forced to turn back.