Tourists stranded in Kaghan rescued
A worker spreads salt on a snow-covered road to prevent vehicles from slipping on the icy concrete. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The vehicles of KMU and COMSATS University students who were going to Siri Paye for a tour got stuck in the snow during Kaghan Valley's first snowfall.
Winter has begun in Kaghan Valley with the onset of snowfall, and with that tourists are flocking to the northern areas for the winter holidays. However, the snow collecting on the road poses challenges such as slippery mountainous slopes and vehicles getting trapped.
More than two hundred university students returning from Siri Paye to Shogran due to sudden snowfall were stranded near Sari due to their vehicles getting stuck in the snow. After a five-hour rescue operation on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the students were rescued and taken to Shogran. They were rescued by the Kaghan Development Authority, police, administration and Rescue 1122 personnel. They were taken to Shogran on foot because the vehicles could not be moved given the snowy conditions.
A cold wave has swept across various parts of Kaghan Valley following the snowfall. Shogran has recorded four inches of snow, while Naran and other areas have seen nearly a foot of snowfall, leading to below freezing temperatures in several regions. The temperature in Naran and adjacent valleys has reached minus 11, and below freezing point even in Shogran.
According to the Meteorological Department, the snowfall is expected to continue for the next two days, leading to further snowfall and an increase in the intensity of cold.
More tourists rescued
Many tourists' vehicles trapped in the snow were rescued from hilltop holiday destinations Naran, Kaghan and Shogran.
Popular tourist places in the northern areas have started receiving intermittent snowfall, and already to such an extent that several vehicles got stuck on the snow-covered roads in Shogran and Siri Paye with tourists still trapped inside them. Many vehicles going to Siri Paye got stuck at Sari as ice on the slopes of the mountain roads made them slippery.
The Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) was quick to take action. After ordering the Shogran and Siri Paye Road closed, the authority, sent machinery to remove the snow. Many trapped vehicles were rescued and brought to Kiwai, and emergency staff were deployed to help the tourists.
According to the Paras police station SHO, the trapped tourists were rescued from their vehicles on Siri Paye Road Road as it was difficult to get the vehicles out due to the road's slippery conditions. Many jeeps which had taken the tourists to the base are still stuck at Sari due to the sudden snowfall.