Pakistan: Rescue efforts continue in Murree to evacuate stranded families
22 people, including 10 children, died after being stuck in freezing temperatures
Islamabad: Pakistan military’s mountain units and district administration continued the massive relief operation on Sunday to rescue families trapped in their vehicles during a heavy snowstorm in Murree. Most roads were largely cleared of snow by Sunday and some of the tourists returned to Islamabad, officials said.
Relief camps and shelters set up
The army-run schools, air force bases, and government buildings were converted into relief camps to provide shelter and warm food to the rescued tourists stuck in the chilling weather. The residents of Murree also took people into their homes and offered them food and blankets.
Most of the families were shifted to the hotels and shelters by Saturday night, the officials said. “Heavy machinery from Murree army engineers division and FWO (Frontier Works Organisation) are working without any pause to assist people who are stuck,” the army’s media wing said. “Troops are out in the field. Where machinery can’t reach, troops have been moved and they are clearing traffic and opening roads.”
At least 4 to 6 feet of snow fell in Murree, which blocked the roads and buried many cars with families inside under heaps of snow since Friday. “Around 600 to 700 cars were evacuated from Murree since Saturday night,” PM’s aide on communication Shahbaz Gill said early Sunday.
“Rawalpindi police, district administration, Pakistan Army men and our locals remained active throughout the night,” he added. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also reached Murree on Sunday and reviewed relief and rescue work.
22 die trapped in snow
At least 22 people, including 10 children, died in Murree after being stuck in their vehicles overnight in freezing temperatures. An Islamabad police officer and seven other members of his family were among those who flocked to Murree to enjoy snowfall but never to return home. Most of the victims died of hypothermia, while others may have from carbon monoxide poisoning after running their car heaters for long periods, rescue officials said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over the tragedy and ordered an investigation to prevent such incidents in the future. Khan said he was shocked and upset by the tragedy, but added that the “unprecedented snowfall and rush of people “caught district admin unprepared.”
Mismanagement or imprudence?
The opposition has slammed the government over “negligence and mismanagement” that led to the loss of precious lives in Murree. The government officials, however, said the “unprecedented snowfall” and roads jam-packed with vehicles hindered the rescue efforts. Some officials also blamed the large numbers of tourists for travelling despite being warned about weather conditions.
Thousands of vehicles were stranded in and around the resort town of Murree, about 60km from the capital Islamabad, since Friday as an unusually high number of tourists, and more than 100,000 cars, headed to the tourist destination to see the snowfall.
The town had a parking capacity of nearly 35,000 vehicles while over 155,000 cars entered Murree during the last five days, according to local media reports. Nearly 135,000 returned safely but the rest were stranded in the blizzard. At least another 1,000 remained stuck on Saturday.
The met department recorded 32 inches of snowfall in the hill town during the last two days. On Friday evening, the Islamabad administration announced the closure of roads leading to Murree for the rest of the weekend in the public interest - a warning which people said came too late. Despite the news of tragic deaths, a large number of daytrippers headed to Murree on Sunday morning and were stopped by the Rawalpindi police and told that the “entry to Murree is currently banned.”