Murree-like tragedy averted as hundreds rescued in Dir

Tourists, including women and children, spent the night in severe cold with no help or rescuer in sight

RAWALPINDI:

Weeks after the nation was left stunned with the news of 23 deaths owing to a deadly blizzard in Murree, a similar tragedy was averted from happening in Khyber-Pkahtunkhwa’s Dir district on Monday.

At least 250 vehicles got stranded on the Rawalpindi-Chitral highway near Lowari Tunnel after intense snowfall blocked their way. The visitors belonging to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other areas, including women and children, spent the night in severe cold with no help or rescuer in sight.

The local administration, which was informed about the situation in time, blamed “intense snowfall” for the delay in the initiation of a rescue operation, as a large number of tourists remained stranded without food or water.

Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps (FC) had to arrive to remove snow off the road, clearing the way for the traffic later in the day.

At least 250 people were stranded in their vehicles in Dir due to intense snowfall in the region. With the use of heavy machinery, roads have been partially opened for traffic by the army and FC troops.

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One of the tourists told The Express Tribune over the phone that he was on his way to Chitral when he encountered the road blockage at around 10pm.

Also read: Army, FC to the rescue after intense snowfall left hundreds stranded in Dir

He confirmed that at least 250 vehicles remained stranded on the location the entire night. Others tourists narrated that the snowfall continued throughout the night and that there was no hotel or house nearby. There were only mountains and jungle as far as they could see.

On the other hand, administration claimed that the snowfall was so intense that it was difficult to rescue the tourists immediately.

According to them, the tourists were rescued as soon as there was a brief pause in the snowfall, saying heavy machinery was used in the process.

Later, the tourists were rescued by Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps who cleared the way and rescued the vehicles. The troops also distributed food among those stranded in the snow.

Last month, 23 tourists trapped in their vehicles during a snowstorm in Murree had lost their lives due to the negligence of the local authorities.

Also read: In pictures: Army to the rescue as deadly blizzard wreaks havoc in Murree

Twenty out of 29 snow-removing machinery and snowmobiles had failed to respond promptly to the Murree incident, the preliminary findings of the probe had revealed.

The incident last month saw the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) receive backlash for its failure to manage the tourist inflow, responding to the situation in time and for lacking contingency plan in case something went wrong.

One can only hope that the administration has learned a few lessons this time and would opt for better arrangements the next time tourists head to one of the many scenic valleys in the country's north.