RAWALPINDI: As many as 22 people had died after heavy snow trapped them in their vehicles in the hill town of Murree.
The rescue teams confirmed the deaths of 22 people, including ten men, ten children and two women.
More than 100,000 cars had entered Murree to see the hefty snowfall in recent days. This caused a massive traffic jam on roads leading in and out of the town. After thousands of vehicles entered the city, all routes in Murree were closed, leaving tourists trapped on the roadways.
Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Minister for Interior, Pakistan, said thousands of vehicles had been taken out from the snow, but thousands were still stuck in the area. According to him, five platoons of the Pakistan Army had been called in to assist with rescue attempts, and at the same time, Rangers and the Frontier Corps deployed on an emergency basis.
In his Twitter message, Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, was shocked and upset over the tragic deaths of tourists on the road to Murree. “Unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared.”
He said an inquiry had been summoned to put in place strong regulations to ensure the prevention of such tragedies.
Shahbaz Sharif, President, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Opposition Leader, National Assembly of Pakistan, had voiced severe concern for the tourists who remain stranded in Murree. Shehbaz Sharif stated that the Murree tragedy demonstrated that there was no such thing as a government in the region since the PTI was imposed on Pakistan.