Kazakhstan avalanche kills seven soldiers

Seven soldiers died in Kazakhstan after being hit by an avalanche during a military exercise, emergency services in the Central Asian country said Friday. "Sixteen soldiers were rescued. Unfortunately seven soldiers were found dead," Ruslan Imankulov, spokesman for Kazakhstan's emergency situations committee, told AFP by telephone. "We hope the number of casualties will not rise." The soldiers were participating in a military exercise in the southern Jambyl region when the avalanche struck, the defence ministry said in a statement.