Tourists fear dead as heavy snow traps drivers in Pakistan inside their vehicles. It is reported that at least 21 people have died after they were trapped by heavy snow in their vehicles in the northern part of Pakistan.
Tourists Fear Dead As Heavy Snow Traps Drivers in Pakistan
The military in an attempt to still rescue those trapped near Murree, a hilltop town, is attempting to clear roads. During a blizzard, up to 1, 000 vehicles were trapped on a highway as per interior minister Sheikh Rashid.
Local media on Friday reported that tourists were getting trapped and stranded due to a blizzard on Murree. Murree is a popular mountain resort town that is located in the north of Islamabad which is the capital city of the country.
Police Report Regarding the Incident
Police report that over 100,000 vehicles had accessed the town of Murree in recent days to see the heavy snowfall that’s unusual. The snowfall however caused a great traffic jam on the roads that are leading in and out of the town.
The police added that at least six persons have frozen to death in their vehicles and as of the moment it is still very much unclear how other persons have died. A possible reason for some of the deaths may be due to Asphyxiation after inhaling fumes.
A Tourist Spoke To a News Agency
The area where the incident had happened has now been declared a disaster area. With that being said, people have been urged to keep away from the area. A tourist known as Usman Abbasi who is a tourist stuck in the town where the blizzard was still falling revealed to the AFP news agency via phone.
He continued to say that “it’s not only tourists, but the local population is also facing severe problems” and this is including water and gas shortages.
The Prime Ministers Response to the Incident
In a video message, Mr. Rashid said that “for the first time in 15 to 20 years such a large number of tourists flocked to Murree, which created a big crisis.” Imran Khan, the prime minister of the nation has expressed his surprise at the “tragic deaths” of the tourists.”
In a tweet, he said, “have ordered inquiry and putting in place strong regulations to ensure prevention of such tragedies.”
The town of Murree was built by the British back in the 19th century as a medical base for its colonial troops.
