Murree was declared calamity hit on Saturday after at least 22 people froze to death in cars stranded in snow amid a glut of tourist influx that led to extreme traffic jams on roads leading to the hill station. The traffic jams were exacerbated by heavy snowfall overnight, which resulted in road blockages. In some instances, the snowstorm and intense winds had also uprooted trees that had fallen on the roads and in one instance, on a couple of vehicles, The Dawn newspaper reported. As many as 1,000 vehicles became stranded as would-be tourists reportedly rushed to view the winter snowfall in the hilltop town of Murree, BBC reported. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the crisis had been caused by the number of people travelling to the area, north of the capital Islamabad. More than 100,000 cars had arrived in the colonial-era town in recent days, with social media in Pakistan flooded with pictures of people enjoying the snow. But by Friday, local media reported that tourists were getting stranded. On Saturday, the heavy snow and increase in vehicles prompted authorities to declare the region a disaster zone. Pictures and video on social media show cars trapped bumper to bumper, snow piled onto their roofs. Television footage from Saturday evening showed queues of cars loaded with tourists, hours after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar issued instructions to expedite rescue work and provide aid to those stranded. However, in a tweet in the evening, Buzdar claimed that all those stranded had been moved to government rest houses and hotels, adding that they were being provided with food, medicines, blankets and other essentials. Later, the military's media wing also confirmed that all stranded persons had been shifted from their vehicles to safety, while army engineers and troops continued working to clear snow on roads leading to Murree. It said engineers had already cleared the Murree Expressway. Meanwhile, entry of cars into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Galiyat was banned, according to the province's chief minister. A list issued by Rescue 1122 said 22 people died, including 10 children. The deceased include an assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad police and seven members of his family. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, in a video message, said tourists had flocked to the hill station in such large numbers "for the first time in 15 to 20 years which created a big crisis". He said Rawalpindi and Islamabad administrations, along with police, had been working to rescue those stranded, while five platoons of the Pakistan Army, as well as Rangers and Frontier Corps, were called on an emergency basis. The minister said that around 1,000 cars were stuck on the hill station. He said that residents of Murree provided food and blankets to stranded tourists, adding that the administration had closed all routes to the hill station and was now allowing only vehicles planning to take food and blankets. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree and Galiyat from Jan. 6 to 9. Meanwhile, Buzdar declared Murree calamity hit and imposed a state of emergency in hospitals, police stations, administration offices and Rescue 1122 services. In a statement issued by his office, the chief minister said that rescuing stranded tourists was the "foremost priority", adding that all rest houses and state buildings had been opened to them. He also expressed sadness over the deaths of people stuck in the snow, saying he was with the families in their grief. Pakistan Army troops were also called in to help with the rescue work. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said army engineers reached the area to help open up the main highways. "Heavy machinery from Murree, army engineers division and FWO are working without any pause to assist people who are struck," the ISPR said, adding: "Where machinery can't reach, troops have been moved and they are clearing traffic and opening roads." Meanwhile, some of the tourists who were stranded, told Geo News that the civil administration was nowhere to be seen, adding that rescue and relief work was being carried out by Pakistan Army officials only. They praised army officials for reaching out to them, giving them food items and making efforts to clear the roads. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed sorrow and regret over the deaths in Murree, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said on Twitter. Later, the prime minister tweeted himself, acknowledging that district administration was "caught unprepared" due to "unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions". "[I] have ordered an inquiry and putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies." Meanwhile, opposition political leaders criticized the government for its handling of the influx of tourists and inadequate preparation. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said he was heartbroken over the tragedy in Murree and questioned who was responsible for the deaths. "Where was the government all the while? What arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? Incompetence is fast turning into criminality. Prior arrangements & round the clock supervision were the normal SOPs in the past," he tweeted. Terming the deaths heartbreaking, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman said governments "needed to be more vigilant about the flood of tourists on the Galiyat routes". "Instead of seeking more tourists government should have given a warning for jammed roads. These were tragic & avoidable losses, which no one intended, but no one acted in time either. Lessons need to be learnt," she added. "The job of governments is not only to count tourists but also to make advance arrangements and security measures for them [...] These deaths are not due to snowfall, but due to government negligence," tweeted PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz. Later, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry responded to the criticism, saying "it is unfortunate that the opposition is playing politics over the matter." Addressing a press conference alongside Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, he said, "The opposition's politics, however, does not hold any importance." "They will criticize no matter what," the minister said, adding that the government was fully alert. "We are [standing] behind our people and the situation is improving. The [Muree] Expressway is now open and more routes will be opened soon," he said. —Agencies
