Heavy snowfall in Pakistan claims at least 21 lives

The victims were trapped in their cars overnight on the road to Murree hill station

Soldiers take part in a mission to rescue people who became trapped in their cars during heavy snowfall in Murree, Pakistan. EPA

At least 22 people died after becoming trapped in vehicles near the town, which is north-east of the country’s capital, Islamabad. EPA

Passengers became trapped overnight in temperatures as low as −8°C. EPA

The freezing weather was expected to continue until Sunday. EPA

A soldier digs a car out of the snow. EPA

Officials said they did not know whether all of the deaths were caused by hypothermia or whether fumes from heaters played a part. EPA

Buses and vans were trapped alongside private cars. EPA

Civilians joined the rescue effort. EPA

Paramilitary forces stand guard at a road junction leading to Murree. Access to the city was blocked after the authorities declared it a disaster zone. Reuters

A vehicle is stuck beside a road. An enormous traffic jam was caused when tens of thousands of visitors drove to the hill town, drawn there by the unusually heavy snowfall. AFP

Stranded tourists make their way home from Murree. EPA

A girl throws a snowball in Ziarat, Pakistan, on Saturday during a trip to the snow-covered mountains with her family. Reuters

Tourist leave Murree after the incident. AFP

As many as 21 people have died in cars trapped by heavy snowfall and traffic jams near a popular hill station resort in Pakistan, officials said.

Roads around Murree were declared a disaster zone after thousands of sightseers were left stuck in their vehicles overnight.

Pakistani troops were mobilised to rescue tourists and clear roads before another snowstorm was due to strike later on Saturday.

Emergency services in Punjab province, where Murree is located, released a list of 21 dead, including eight children.

Officials said a heavy influx of visitors wanting to see snow in the scenic town, about 45 kilometres north-east of the capital, Islamabad, had been caught by traffic jams and bad weather on the winding roads.

Deep snow fell as crowds descended on the town on Friday, leaving large numbers stuck in their vehicles. As many as 1,000 cars had been trapped, the country’s interior minister, Sheikh Rasheed, said.

“The locals provided food and blankets to the stranded people,” he said.

Unverified video shared on social media showed members of the public digging cars out of deep snow and finding apparently lifeless bodies slumped inside. One clip appeared to show the bodies of a family including young children.

Atiq Ahmed, of Islamabad police, told Associated Press that a fellow officer called Naveed Iqbal and eight members of his family were among the dead.

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, said he was “shocked and upset at the tragic deaths of tourists on the road to Murree” and had ordered an inquiry to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

Unprecedented snowfall and the “rush of people proceeding without checking the weather conditions” had caught the district administrators unprepared, he said on Twitter.

Up to 1.4 metres of snow have fallen in or around the town in recent days, and the overnight temperature dropped to -8ºC. There were conflicting reports over whether the dead had been killed by the cold or been overcome by fumes while running heaters to keep warm.

Murree is a popular destination for day trips from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Snowfall in the town draws crowds of visitors every year, often leading to long traffic jams.

Snow had been falling for several days this week, attracting a large number of cars which overwhelmed the town’s roads. More 100,000 cars had entered Murree in the past few days, causing an enormous traffic jam on roads leading in and out, a police spokesman said.

Police officials had on Friday urged visitors to stay away because of the tailbacks and poor weather.

“We have also decided to ban tourists who are planning on coming to Murree by walk; this is not the time to come to Murree,” Mr Rasheed said.

Punjab’s chief minister said a state of emergency had been declared in the area, with government guest houses ordered to take in stranded motorists. Usman Buzdar said 23,000 vehicles had been removed.

The opposition quickly blamed Mr Khan’s government for the tragedy.

“Where do you pin the responsibility of these deaths? Where was the government all the while?” Shehbaz Sharif, the opposition leader in parliament, said.

“What arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? Incompetence is fast turning into criminality.”