'Murree Express Highway cleared, evacuation of tourists underway'

LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that the traffic was allowed on Express Highway after its clearance and evacuation of stranded tourists is underway in Murree, ARY News reported.

Fawad Chaudhry said that the government is providing maximum assistance to the stranded people in Murree besides expressing sorrow over the loss of lives.

Fawad Chaudhry said that the hilly areas have received record snowfall during the last 48 hours in the hilly areas and the local administration kept appealing to the people for one week for stopping them to tour the upper areas.

The minister said that the unusual snowfall wreaked havoc in Kuldana and Barrian in which many lives were lost. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the Murree situation and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also departed for the hilly area.

READ: MURREE TRAGEDY: ASI NAVED IQBAL’S LAST MESSAGE SURFACES

He detailed that the local administration, rescue institutions and military troops are present in the affected areas to evacuate the stranded tourists.

Fawad Chaudhry said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has opened all routes from Nathiagali, whereas, Punjab government also opened its guesthouses for the affected tourists.

He criticised the opposition leaders for politicising the situation and asked Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to visit his constituency.

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.

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.