22 people die in Murree

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.

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Minister for Interior, Pakistan, said thousands of vehicles had been pulled from the snow, but more than a thousand were still stuck in the area on Saturday.

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.

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 ordered and put in place strong regulations to ensure the prevention of such tragedies.

Shahbaz Sharif, President of the 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.