Kabul, Jul 12: At least 10 people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed in northeastern Afghanistan after melting snow triggered a landslide, officials said Thursday.

A mountain lake in Panjshir, a province known for its snowcapped peaks north of Kabul, overflowed and caused a landslide, Omar Mohammadi, spokesman for the disaster management ministry, told AFP.

"We have deployed everything at hand to help the people," Mohammadi said. "Some people are missing."

Villagers using shovels and other tools were desperately searching for survivors as rescue teams were deployed to the area, he said. Disasters such as avalanches and flash floods often hit in mountainous areas of Afghanistan as snows melt in the spring and summer.