Death toll climbs in Afghanistan avalanches

KABUL, Afghanistan -- At least 186 people have been killed by a series of avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan. The increased death toll came on Thursday as crews struggled to clear incredible amounts of snow that buried several homes, according to officials.

A local official said there wasn't enough equipment available to clear the way and rescue people believed to be trapped.

A CBS News crew reached the top of one of the avalanche sites where men using shovels were trying to rescue a family they said was trapped under the snow. Three bodies were later pulled out: Fariq, 40, his son Sifatullah, 7, and Fariq's 3-year-old daughter Bibi.

The avalanches began on Tuesday in Panjshir Valley about 60 miles outside of Kabul. Recent snowfall has blocked a major road connecting the city to northeastern Afghanistan, further hindering efforts to bring relief to the disaster site.

The amount of snow - 6 feet in some places - was described by elderly villagers as unprecedented for the last decade. CBS News cameras captured men inside a deep tunnel they had dug where an animal appeared to have been trapped under snow and debris.

According to the Associated Press, the Afghan army deployed 1,000 soldiers form the Kabul Corps to the Panjshir Valley, to help in the rescue efforts.