Avalanching In North Ossetia, No Casualties Reported

A total of 15 avalanches have recently been registered in the Republic of North Ossetia, with no casualties reported. According to a North Ossetian Ministry of Emergency Situations official, snow banks have been cleared out since morning, including those near the Roksky tunnel on the Trans-Caucasian highway in the South-Ossetian direction. Traffic on the road has been suspended owing to the danger of avalanche. An operational team, which includes a road-repair crew and three anti-avalanche service's units, has been set up. Its total strength is 46 persons, it has 16 vehicles, and 12 cannons. The two cars that remained stuck near the tunnel have been pulled out of the snow. The press service for the Russian Border Service's North Caucasian Regional Board said that the Nizhny Zagomag and Verkhny Lars checkpoints on the Russian-Georgian border were functioning normally, despite the heavy snowfalls and a danger of avalanche.