At least 21 people were trapped inside their vehicles, in a gigantic traffic jam caused by tens of thousands of visitors who came to see an unusual snowstorm in a mountainous town in the north of Pakistan.
According to the police, at least eight people were frozen to death inside their vehicles. It is still unknown whether the other victims asphyxiated after inhaling gases in the traffic jam.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said military personnel have been mobilized to clear the roads and rescue the thousands of motorists still trapped near Murree, about 70 km northeast of the capital Islamabad.
Videos shared on social media show cars stuck in the traffic jam, with a meter of snow accumulated on their roofs.
“The heavy snow caused a huge traffic jam and the closure of the roads,” Babar Khan, a visitor who was trapped for hours, told AFP by phone.
“Roads were also closed due to falling trees in various places,” he added.
Pakistan’s meteorological service reported that heavy snowfall is expected in the region through Sunday afternoon.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudry said records of “decades” have been broken with the snowfall of the last 48 hours.
Unprepared administration
For days, Pakistan’s social media has been littered with images and videos of people enjoying themselves in the snow near Murree, a picturesque resort town built by the British in the 19th century and used as a sanitarium for their colonial troops.
This town of about 30,000 inhabitants is situated at an altitude of 2,300 meters, amid hills and valleys, accessed by narrow roads, often blocked even in good weather.
The Punjab province chief’s office announced that Murree had been declared a “disaster area” and urged people not to travel to the town.
Prime Minister Imran Khan declared himself shocked by the tragedy.
“Unprecedented snowfall and displacement of people without checking the weather forecasts leaves the administration unprepared” to deal with the situation, he tweeted.
“I have ordered an investigation and adopted strict measures in place to prevent this type of tragedy,” he added.
Warnings
Authorities warned last weekend that too many vehicles were trying to reach Murree, but this did not discourage crowds of drivers from traveling to Murree.
More than 100,000 cars have flocked to the tourist town in recent days to attend the large and unusual snowfalls, causing huge traffic jams on the access and exit roads, according to a police spokesman.
Its proximity to the capital makes Murree a popular tourist destination for day trips.
Minister Sheikh Rashid reported that local residents have accommodated people trapped in the city, and provided food and shelter to those on the outskirts of the town.
Authorities have provided accommodation in schools and administrative buildings for those who managed to get off the congested roads and into the town.
The Pakistan emergency service released a list with the names of 21 people whose deaths have been confirmed.
Many of them were frozen to death in their snow-covered vehicles, according to Punjab government spokesman Hasaan Khawar. Among the victims is a family of five.
AFP
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