Rescue operations are underway in the mountainous region of Murree in Pakistan's Punjab province after heavy snowfall killed 22 people, including women and children, in addition to civilian and military personnel.
According to the list released by Rescue 1122, the dead included 10 men, two women and 10 children.
The bodies of those killed have been shifted from Murree to Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Saturday night.
A snow emergency has been declared in Murree by the Punjab government and the tehsil has been declared a disaster. A Meteorological Department official told the BBC that there was no snow in Murree at the moment but more rain and snow was forecast in the next few hours.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed sorrow over the deaths of tourists, saying that the administration was not ready because of the unusual snowfall and the arrival of people there without checking the weather.
In his message on Twitter, he said, "I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of tourists on the way to Murree. The district administration was unwilling to allow the large number of people to arrive without taking into account the unusual snowfall and weather conditions.
He also said that an inquiry into the killings has been ordered and that strict rules have been issued to prevent such tragedies.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the roads leading from Islamabad to Murree were closed on Friday night, however, the influx of people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued and the road could not be closed.
According to journalist Zubair Khan, according to the information received from the Jika Gali area, the roads could not be cleared even on Saturday night and vehicles are still stuck there. There are also vehicles on the highway connecting Murree with Abbottabad.
Status of relief activities
A message issued by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar on Twitter on Saturday evening said Needs are being met.
"According to police records, there were 33,745 vehicles in Murree till Friday night, out of which 33,373 vehicles have been evacuated," he said.
According to information provided by the Pakistan Army Public Relations Department, people have been evacuated from all vehicles stranded in and around Murree and five relief camps have been set up in and around Murree. Where food and warm clothing and blankets are being provided to the victims.
According to ISPR, with the help of army engineers and young bulldozers, they are clearing snow from Jhika Gali and the roads connecting Kaldana and Kaldana and Barian.
Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had said that rescue operations in Kaldana and Barian areas had not been completed and most of the casualties had occurred there.
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According to Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, after the rescue operations, the Murree Expressway has been almost cleared and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has opened all the routes from Nathia Gali.
In his tweet, Fawad Chaudhry wrote, "According to Commissioner Murree, due to the tireless efforts of the administration, the Murree Expressway has now been cleared and hundreds of vehicles have been returned."
He further wrote that there are more problems in the Barian and Guldana areas. Work is underway to rectify the power outage and the situation continues to improve.
On the other hand, according to ISPR, Pakistan Army engineers have reopened Jhika Gali Gharial Road while they are currently busy in reopening Jhika Gali Guldana Road.
The Pakistani military says stranded tourists are being provided temporary accommodation and food at Army Public School Galdana.
Earlier, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had announced that roads leading to Murree from Islamabad and other areas would be closed and only vehicles carrying food and relief supplies would be allowed to enter. Is. According to him, the roads leading to Murree will remain closed till 9 pm on Sunday.
