Pakistan: At least 23 tourists in Murree freeze to death in vehicles amid snowstorm

At least 23 people died after heavy snow trapped them in their vehicles as thousands of visitors thronged Pakistan’s hill town of Murree, the interior minister said Saturday.

The military has been mobilised to clear roads and rescue people still trapped, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video message.

Over 100,000 cars had entered the scenic town of Murree in the past few days to see the unusually heavy snowfalls, causing an enormous traffic jam on roads leading in and out, a police spokesman said.

Sheikh Rashid said the Rawalpindi and Islamabad administration have been trying their best to clear the area since Friday night, but there was a massive influx of people coming to Murree, Galiaat and Bariyaan. As a result, authorities were unable to clear the area. The roads leading to Murree have been cordoned off.

Murree, about 70km (45 miles) northeast of Islamabad, has long been popular for day trips from the capital.

The Punjab province chief minister’s office said Murree had been declared a “disaster area” and urged people to stay away.

(With inputs from AFP)

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