<br/>In Kazakhstan, seven soldiers have died after being hit by an avalanche during a military exercise in southern region today.<br/><br/><br/>Ruslan Imankulov, spokesman for Kazakhstan's emergency situations committee, told AFP that the soldiers were participating in a military exercise in the southern Jambyl region when the avalanche struck. He said seven soldiers were killed and sixteen were rescued.<br/><br/><br/>Avalanches are common in mountainous parts of Central Asia.<br/>