Calamity in Murree as at least 22 tourists freeze to death in cars

At least 22 tourists stranded in their vehicles during a snowstorm in Murree died on Friday night, rescue and government officials confirmed on Saturday.

Rescue 1122 Divisional Emergency Officer Dr Rehman, who is heading the rescue operation, said 22 bodies had been recovered so far including 10 men, two women, four boys and six girls. 

The tragedy occurred because of the negligence of the local authorities as they allowed 13,000 vehicles onto routes that could only accommodate 4,000.

Police reported that at least eight people had frozen to death in their cars, while it was not immediately clear if others had died from asphyxiation after inhaling exhaust fumes in snow-bound vehicles.

Video shared on social media showed cars packed bumper-to-bumper, with one-metre-high (three-foot) piles of snow on their roofs. They also showed entire families, including children, lying dead in their snow-covered vehicles.

“Were the deaths caused by cold or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning?" Dr Faheem Younus, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland UCH, said in a tweet. "CO is odourless, lethal if an idling car is buried in snow, the blocked exhaust [silencer] can quickly kill the passengers as they breathe CO."

Snowfall, which began on Tuesday night, continued at regular intervals, attracting thousands of tourists. Due to the huge numbers of visitors, many families ended up being stranded on roads.

Authorities had warned last weekend that too many vehicles were trying to enter Murree, but that failed to discourage hordes of daytrippers from the capital.

"The heavy snowfall caused a traffic jam and the closure of roads," Babar Khan, a tourist who was stranded for hours, told AFP by phone.

"Roads were also closed due to falling trees in many places." The website of Pakistan's National Weather Forecasting Centre said heavy snowfall was expected in the area until Sunday afternoon. 

"It’s not only the tourists, but the local population is also facing severe problems," Usman Abbasi, another stranded visitor, told AFP.

"Gas cylinders have run out and drinking water is not available in most areas -- it's either frozen or the water pipes have been damaged due to severe cold." He said hotels were running out of food, and mobile phone services were patchy. "People are facing a terrible situation."

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the military had mobilised to clear roads and rescue thousands still trapped near Murree. “For the first time in 15 to 20 years such large number of tourists flocked to Murree, which created a big crisis,” the minister said in a video message.

Rashid later arrived in Murree to monitor the rescue operation. He said hundreds of vehicles were still stranded in Murree whereas over 23,000 vehicles had been rescued. The minister said at least all vehicles had been rescued in Guliyat. The vehicles in the Guldana region were still stranded and would be rescued soon, he added. “All types of traffic entering Murree from Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been banned till the end of the rescue operation.”

Rashid said heavy machinery had been called in to clear the roads and the help of the civil armed forces and the military has been sought to rescue the stranded tourists. “The authorities have decided to use helicopters for the rescue operation as well after the weather clears,” he added.

National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) IG Inam Ghani urged tourists not to travel to Murree as snowfall had started again. President Dr Arif Alvi, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani as well as other high-ups have expressed their sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident.

In their separate messages, they prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and give courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude.

(With input from agencies)