On Saturday, officials said temperatures dropped to minus 8 degrees Celsius amid heavy snowfall in the Pakistani mountain resort of Morey at night, killing at least 16 people who were trapped in their cars, the Associated Press reported.
Atiq Ahmed, an Islamabad police officer, said eight of the 16 dead were from the family of Islamabad police officer Naveed Iqbal, who also died.
Officials indicated that all 16 died of hypothermia.
Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said thousands of vehicles had been pulled out of the snow, but more than 1,000 were still stuck in the area.
Morei Resort is located 45.5 km north of the capital, Islamabad, and is a popular winter resort that attracts more than one million tourists annually. Roads to the city are often blocked by snow in winter.
The interior minister added that more than 1.2 meters of snow fell in the area during the night and incoming traffic was banned on Saturday. The minister indicated that security forces and a special military mountain unit were called in to help.
“Until then, no vehicles or even people on foot are allowed to enter Morey except for emergency and rescue vehicles and those bringing food to the stranded people,” he said.
Local official Omar Maqbool said heavy snowfall hampered rescue efforts during the night, and even heavy equipment brought in to clear the snow got stuck at first, adding that food and blankets were distributed to the stranded tourists.
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