Heavy snow caused havoc as 83 people died in Pakistan

Heavy snow caused havoc as 83 people died in Pakistan

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) 83 people have lost lives in snow-related accidents across country. At least 55 people have been killed in Azad Kashmir due to weather related deaths. The extreme cold weather and heavy snow in the mountain regions in Baluchistan-KPK –AJK and Gilgit- Baltistan have severely affected the people.

The situation is serious in some areas of AJK and Baluchistan. Pakistan Army has started the rescue operations in these areas. Hundreds of passengers, including women and infants, were stuck on the roads in harsh weather on Monday night as a massive snowstorm wreaked havoc in different parts of Baluchistan.

More than 500 passengers were stranded in Kan Mehtarzai area of Killa Saifullah district, where temperatures dipped to as low as -14°C while heavy snowfall and strong winds almost buried cars on the main National Highway. Emergency had been declared in seven districts of Baluchistan, which were badly affected due to heavy rain and snowfall.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall in Gilgit-Baltistan has broken the 50-year record. An emergency has been declared in Hunza and Nagar  districts after continued rain and snowfall for the last 36 hours paralysed life in the northern region.

Authorities have advised people to avoid travelling through mountainous routes owing to the threat of landslides. The snowfall has also greatly affected the electricity distribution system in Gilgit Baltistan coupling the hardship of locals.

                                                        ITN report