KABUL: Authorities say 20 people have died after a truck skidded out of control and crashed into a dam in northern Afghanistan.

Abdul Maman Yaqubi, chief of police for Khan Abad district in Kunduz province, says the truck was travelling on icy and snowy roads Thursday morning when it spun out of control and slipped off the road.

Yaqubi said four people survived the accident, which left the truck under water, and that officials are investigating.

He added that four women and a 10-year-old girl are among the dead.

After an initially mild winter, Afghanistan has seen heavy snowfall in parts of the country.