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The dead include eight members of the same family after their vehicles were submerged in snow, authorities said.
At least 16 people have been killed by freezing snow after heavy snowstrikes hit their vehicles, gathering tens of thousands of visitors on the hill in the Pakistani town of Murree.
The military mobilized to clear the roads and rescue people still trapped, Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video message on Saturday: “At least 16-19 people were killed inside their vehicles.”
Islamabad police officer Atiq Ahmed said eight of the 16 dead belonged to the family of Islamabad police officer Naveed Iqbal, who was also killed. All 16 died of hypothermia.
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed surprise at the “tragic deaths” of tourists. “They have called for consultation and established strong regulations to ensure the prevention of these tragedies,” Khan said in a tweet.
Located 50 km (22 miles) north of the capital Islamabad, Murree is a popular winter resort that attracts more than a million tourists each year. The streets leading to the city are often blocked by snow in winter.
The videos shared on social media showed the whole family, including the children, lying dead in the snow-covered vehicles.
Heavy snow warnings
The snowfall, which began on Tuesday night, continued steadily, attracting thousands of tourists. Due to the large number of visitors, many families stayed on the roads.
“This is an example of a systemic failure, according to reports, as about 100,000 vehicles went to the mountain station, which has narrow roads,” Kamal Hyder of Al Jazeera reported from Islamabad.
“It simply came to our notice then. Their vehicles were buried under a pile of snow. ”
Ahmed, the interior minister, said more than 1.2 meters (4 feet) of snow fell in the area at night and blocked all incoming traffic on Saturday. The minister said he had called in paramilitary troops and a special mountain military unit to help.
“Until now, Murree has no vehicles or pedestrians, except for emergency and rescue vehicles and food for people who are stuck,” he said.
Umar Maqbool, the local administrator, said heavy snowfall had hampered rescue operations at night and heavy equipment brought in to remove the snow was also initially blocked.
Officials did not provide further details about the dead in the crashed vehicles, but said they were working on recovery and rescue work. They distributed food and blankets to the tourists.
The Punjab provincial prime minister’s office said Murree had been designated a “disaster area” and urged people to stay away.
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