Kaghan Valley closed for tourists after Murree tragedy

MANSEHRA: Another popular tourist destination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Kaghan Valley has been closed for tourists following the casualties in the hilly resort, Murree due to heavy snowfall, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Entry of tourists has been banned in another tourist destination located in KP’s Mansehra district, Kaghan Valley.

The local administration established a check post at Kawai Village of Kaghan Valley to block entry of tourists to Naran, Saif-ul-Malook Lake and other scenic places to avoid facing any untoward situation in the heavy snowfall season.

READ: ‘MURREE EXPRESS HIGHWAY CLEARED, EVACUATION OF TOURISTS UNDERWAY’

At least 22 tourists who were stranded in their vehicles due to heavy snowfall died of the extreme weather in Murree on Friday night.

The death toll has soared to 22 while a rescue and evacuation operation is underway in the hilly area. The deceased tourists hailed from Karachi, Lahore, Mardan and other cities.

According to a report on the Murree tragedy presented to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar by the Rawalpindi administration, more than 100,000 vehicles entered Murree over the past three days. 12,000 of them exited the hill station while the rest got stuck.

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The report put the death toll at 20 and said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had not alerted the district administration about the unprecedented snowfall that the hilly area was to receive.

Murree received five feet of snowfall, it said, adding the roads leading to the hill station were closed on the night of Jan 6 with people advised to avoid travelling to the area yet tourists in the large number reached there.