At least 21 people died trapped in their vehicles in a traffic jam caused by tens of thousands of visitors who came to see a rare snowstorm in a northern Pakistani city.
According to police, at least six of them froze to death in their cars. It is not yet known whether the other victims suffocated after inhaling gases in the traffic jam. Interior Minister Sheij Rashid said he had mobilized the military to clear roads and help the thousands of drivers and passengers still stranded near Murree, about 70 km northeast of the capital, Islamabad.
Videos shared on social media show cars stuck in traffic, with a meter of snow piled up on the roof. “People are facing a terrible situation,” said Usman Abbasi, a tourist stranded in this town, where snow continues to fall, he told the AFP news agency.
For days, Pakistan’s social media has been filled with images and videos of people enjoying the snow near Murree, a tourist center built by the British in the 19th century and used as a sanatorium for their colonial troops. The Punjab provincial chief’s office announced that Murree had been declared a “disaster zone” and urged people not to travel to the city, where about 1,000 vehicles are still trapped, according to Minister Rashid.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented the tragedy and said in a message posted on Twitter that “unprecedented blizzards and displacement of people who did not consult weather forecasts leave the government unprepared” to face the situation. “I ordered an investigation and adopted strict measures on the spot to prevent this type of tragedy,” he added.
Authorities warned last weekend that many vehicles were trying to reach Murree, but the warnings did not deter the crowd of motorists traveling into the city. More than 100,000 cars have come to the tourist destination in recent days to see the rare, heavy snowfalls, causing massive traffic jams on access and exit roads, according to a police spokesman.
Proximity to the capital makes Murree a popular spot for day trips. Minister Rashid said residents had housed people trapped in the city and offered food and shelter to those nearby. The authorities also provided accommodation in schools and administrative buildings to those who managed to get off the gridlocked roads and into the city.
The emergency service has released a list of the names of the 21 people whose death has been confirmed.
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