Afghan officials try to open Kabul airport

Afghan officials say they are hopeful that the country's largest airport will reopen after being closed due to heavy snowfall.

Transportation Ministry spokesman Nenglai Qalatwal said Saturday that crews were busy trying to clear the runway at Kabul airport, which has been closed for more than a day because of a half-meter of snow. He says it should open Saturday afternoon.

Heavy snows also closed the Salang Pass, a major route through the Hindu Kush mountains that connects the Afghan capital of Kabul to the north of the country.

Many roads in the capital were impassable because of the snow.

National Weather Center meteorologist Abdul Qadir Qadir says the heavy snows were beneficial for Afghanistan, which has been suffering from 12 years of drought.