Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) For almost a week , avalanches caused by heavy snowstorms have killed 196 people in the mountainous province of Panjshir , Afghanistan , officials said on Monday . Ten new avalanches were reported early Monday morning , without any casualties . Over the weekend , a total of 40 avalanches hit the area , said Bab Jan Hakimi , head of disaster response at the Afghan Red Crescent Society . Rescue operations and emergency assistance by air and ground are still ongoing , Hakimi said . However , authorities fear the toll will grow much higher since rescue personnel have yet to reach the worst affected areas . President Ashraf Ghani , who visited the area on Saturday , declared three days of mourning in Afghanistan for the victims . Panjshir is a small , mountainous province north of the capital , Kabul . Its residents are generally poor , earning their living as farmers , shepherds or operators of small businesses such as groceries . CNN 's Masoud Popalzai reported from Kabul , Afghanistan and journalist Naomi Ng wrote from Hong Kong .
Authorities fear the toll from deadly avalanche will grow higher . The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams continue their search for survivors in remote areas of central and southern Nepal that have been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes over the past week.