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[VIDEO] At least 21 people dead after being stranded in Murree snowfall

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MenInG

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Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Saturday that around 16 to 19 people had died after their cars were stranded because of snowfall and traffic congestion in Murree.

In a video message, he said tourists flocked to the hill station in such large numbers "for the first time in 15 to 20 years which created a big crisis".

The administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, along with police, had been working to rescue the stranded people, while five platoons of the Pakistan Army as well as Rangers and Frontier Corps have been called on an emergency basis, he added.

Around 1,000 cars are stuck on the hill station, the interior minister said. "We have rescued some and turned back others. Around 16 to 19 deaths have occurred in cars."

Ahmed said that residents of Murree provided food and blankets to those stranded, adding that the administration had closed all routes to the hill station and was allowing only vehicles planning to take food and blankets.

"God willing, we will rescue 1,000 cars by evening today. We have decided to stop people [travelling] on foot as well. It is no time for [pedestrian] tourists to visit."

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said he had issued orders to accelerate work to rescue citizens stuck in the snow and send more machinery from Pindi.

More than 23,000 cars were evacuated from the area the night before and the rescue operation was going on, he shared. Buzdar appealed to people to strictly follow instructions given by the police and district administration and cooperate with them.

Earlier today, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry also appealed to people to not visit the hill station.

"A large crowd [is headed towards] Murree and other areas. Hundreds of thousands of cars are travelling to these areas. It is impossible for the local administration to provide facilities to people in such a large number," he tweeted.

Chaudhry urged those people who were at home to delay their travel plans to those areas for some time.

A large number of people were stranded and flights faced delays as rain continued to lash the federal capital and Rawalpindi for the fourth consecutive day on Friday.

Due to continuous snowfall and traffic congestion in Murree, the district administration imposed a ban on entry of more vehicles.

Snowfall, which began on Tuesday night, continued with regular intervals, attracting thousands of tourists. However, due to the rush of visitors, many families ended up getting stranded on roads. It has been reported that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station.

In a statement, Chief Traffic Officer Taimoor Khan said entry of vehicles into Murree had been banned from Friday night onwards and cars were being diverted from toll plazas and other entrances.

He said since snowfall started on Monday morning, more than 155,000 vehicles had entered Murree and 135,000 had so far left.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree till Sunday evening.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1668318/a...stranded-in-murree-snowfall-interior-minister
 
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Horrible scenes:

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Army has to literally be called in for anything in Pakistan. Even in the most developed province of Punjab with rescue 1122 widely available, the Army has to be called to clear roads off snow. What use are our civilian institutions for?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Murree Snowfall Update:<br>▪︎23,000+ vehicles rescued and evacuated last night.<br>▪︎Heavy snowfall has started again.<br>▪︎Army platoons, Rangers and FC teams are also reaching on ground.<br>▪︎16-19 deaths have been reported.<br>▪︎Evacuation process continues<br> <a href="https://t.co/2KSNVwVHBu">pic.twitter.com/2KSNVwVHBu</a></p>— PTI (@PTIofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1479722029234282497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Inna lilla he wa Inna illa he rajeoon, i have seen very graphic vids on social media about this incident, our people are so innocent that they travel without checking weather updates etc, and our local govt hesitate to close roads as this will effect buisness who is responible for this kind of kaos Local govt or general public ?
 
At least 19 tourists stranded in their vehicles succumbed to the extreme weather during a snowstorm in Murree on Friday night, said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Saturday.

According to the minister who arrived in Murree to monitor the rescue operation, hundreds of vehicles were stranded in Murree whereas over 23,000 vehicles have been rescued.

The interior minister said at least all vehicles have been rescued in Guliyat, whereas the vehicles in the Guldana region are still stranded that would be rescued soon. All types of traffic entering Murree from Rawalpindi and Islamabad has been banned till the end of the rescue operations, he added.

The minister said heavy machinery has been called in to clear the roads and the help of the civil armed forces and the military has been sought to rescue the stranded tourists. The authorities have decided to use helicopters for rescue operations as well after the weather clears, he added.

'Emergency imposed'

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has imposed an emergency in the region, declaring it a calamity-hit area, amid fears the death toll may increase.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has ordered the government guest houses in the area to give refuge to the stranded tourists. Emergency has been declared in all the important departments including police, administration, Rescue 1122, and hospitals, Radio Pakistan reported.

Buzdar said that evacuating the stranded tourists is the top priority of the government, adding that the tourists are being provided with necessary relief items, including food supplies.

Separately, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry requested the tourists not to plan trips towards upper areas of the country for a few days. He said a large number of people were going towards Murree and other places in the northern areas, adding that millions of vehicles were heading towards these spots.

The minister said it has become impossible for the local administration to facilitate such a large number of people. He urged the people still at home to postpone their plans for a few days.

'Incompetent government'

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the death of tourists and blamed the government’s incompetence for the loss of lives. He said such is the level of incompetence that the government cannot even take administrative measures to facilitate traffic movement.

"What a massive tragedy Murree is turning out to be! Heartbroken to learn about the loss of so many precious lives. My profound condolences & sympathies are with the bereaved families. May Allah rest the departed souls in peace," he added.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman termed the loss of precious lives a "massive tragedy". She said the government surely needed to be more vigilant about the tourists influx in extreme weather conditions.

"These were tragic and avoidable losses which no intended, but no one acted in time either," the senator tweeted.

She also urged the government to ramp up disaster preparedness.

The PPP leader urged social media users to exercise restraint and stop posting about the people who have passed away.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2337723/calamity-in-murree-as-19-tourists-freeze-to-death
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shocked & upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall & rush of ppl proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared. Have ordered inquiry & putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1479752168768999429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Syed1 said:
Army has to literally be called in for anything in Pakistan. Even in the most developed province of Punjab with rescue 1122 widely available, the Army has to be called to clear roads off snow. What use are our civilian institutions for?
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what did the current govt do than?

The army is under the govt, the govt can ask army to do anything they want.
 
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shah_1 said:
Failure of the government
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to be honest, nope.

I believe you cant blame the govt for this. We have over population and it snowed alot.

The roads that were made for Murree are beautiful and more safer than the roads for monal, Islamabad.

Murree is very near to Rawalpini/Islamabad and people like to go there whenever it snows. THere were school holidays aswell.

Every person i know was gone to murree as soon as it snow. Its just 45-60 mins away from Pindi/Isb. Nearest area where snow falls and this what people like to enjoy as there arnt that many attractions around here.

It snowed too much and govt couldn't do anything and there is nothing they could be blamed for. The only thing they can do is limit movement to Murree now.

Even taking heavy machinery to murree is very difficult due to the roads there.
 
went through the death list. 8 members of one family died and another family had 5-6 members. Basically whole cars got submerged in snow.

Really feel bad for what happened. Seems like as people got stuck in the traffic, they slept in their cars maybe. Dont really expect the local population of Murree to help, they have a bad reputation of being jerks.

I think one issue that I could see here is that people go to such areas not looking at the car they are taking. One of the deaths reported was in a Pakistani alto which is a very small car and is made of thin metal. Not a safe car to take in this weather.

Alot of people probably went over in mehran cars which are unsafe.


I think its time to develop murree as a proper tourist destination for locals. Start direct train service or shuttle train service from the city directly to murree top. Over the next few years murree will obviously have more influx of people and to reduce the traffic provide such services.
 
gkb101277867 said:
Do they not have heating in the cars?
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that is more dangerous. it could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Plus with 10 feets of snow on your whole car including the bonnet wont heat up the engine and probably kill it. Plus, with limited petrol in the car some might not be be able to keep it start for whole night.

One of the car I read is a vxr. vxr alto is very thin and heavy amount of snow over it would had made the interior cold aswell. They probably couldn't open the doors aswel once submerged in snow.
 
Very sad to hear Most people were probably not prepared for such severe weather
 
Very sad to hear about this devasting news, all the tourists were flocking towards Muree to have an outing with their families.

There is a lot of departments that need to be held accountable starting from the meteorology department, why couldn't they notify the authorities of such a storm so that some action could have been taken.

Unfortunately, our country still lacks general infrastructure towards the northern region which could accommodate huge numbers of tourists.
 
Iss quam ko koi theek nahi kar sakta


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LIVE from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Murree?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Murree</a><br><br>Despite the bad weather conditions, tourists are still heading to the hill station. They fought with police officers who stopped them <a href="https://t.co/TICcSth9Su">pic.twitter.com/TICcSth9Su</a></p>— Samaa English (@SamaaEnglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamaaEnglish/status/1479779131055292419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
All victims died due to carbon monoxide poisoning; they did not freeze to death.
 
inna lillahi wa inallah-e-raji'oon
Terrible tragedy which should never have happened. Better planning and foresight would have helped to prevent such tragedies.
 
EngrOmair said:
Very sad to hear about this devasting news, all the tourists were flocking towards Muree to have an outing with their families.

There is a lot of departments that need to be held accountable starting from the meteorology department, why couldn't they notify the authorities of such a storm so that some action could have been taken.

Unfortunately, our country still lacks general infrastructure towards the northern region which could accommodate huge numbers of tourists.
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Our Bureaucracy isnt there to serve the people, the people are there to be fleeced.
 
Conditions still look treacherous:

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1668318/murree-declared-calamity-hit-after-at-least-22-freeze-to-death-in-cars-stranded-in-snow

Murree was declared calamity hit on Saturday after at least 22 people froze to death in cars stranded in snow amid a glut of tourist influx.

Television footage showed that thousands of cars loaded with tourists were still stuck on the routes leading to the hill station on Saturday evening, hours after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar issued instructions to expedite rescue work and provide aid to the stranded tourists.

However, in a tweet in the evening, Buzdar claimed that all those stranded had been moved to government rest houses and hotels, adding that they were being provided with food, medicines, blankets and other essentials.

Meanwhile, entry of cars into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Galiyat was banned, according to the province's chief minister.

A list issued by Rescue 1122 said 22 people died, including 10 children. The deceased include an assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad police and seven members of his family.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in a video message, said tourists had flocked to the hill station in such large numbers "for the first time in 15 to 20 years which created a big crisis".

He said Rawalpindi and Islamabad administrations, along with police, had been working to rescue those stranded, while five platoons of the Pakistan Army, as well as Rangers and Frontier Corps, were called on an emergency basis.

The minister said that around 1,000 cars were stuck on the hill station.

Ahmed said that residents of Murree provided food and blankets to stranded tourists, adding that the administration had closed all routes to the hill station and was now allowing only vehicles planning to take food and blankets.

"God willing, we will rescue 1,000 cars by evening today. We have decided to stop people [travelling] on foot as well. It is no time for [pedestrian] tourists to visit."

The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree and Galiyat from January 6 to 9.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar declared Murree calamity hit and imposed a state of emergency in hospitals, police stations, administration offices and Rescue 1122 services.

He also directed the provincial chief secretary, inspector general of police, relief commissioner, director general Rescue 1122 and director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to undertake rescue work, in addition to providing his helicopter to help with aid efforts.

In a statement issued by his office, the chief minister said that rescuing stranded tourists was the "foremost priority", adding that all rest houses and state buildings had been opened to them.

The process to rescue the tourists has been expedited while food and essential items are also being provided, Buzdar said.

He also expressed sadness over the deaths of people stuck in the snow, saying he was with the families in their grief.

The chief minister shared the same in a tweet later in the day, saying he had issued orders to accelerate work to rescue citizens stuck in the snow and send more machinery from Rawalpindi.

More than 23,000 cars were evacuated from the area the night before and the rescue operation was going on, he shared. Buzdar appealed to people to strictly follow instructions given by the police and district administration and cooperate with them.

Pakistan Army troops reached Murree to help with the rescue work. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said army engineers also reached the area to help open up the main highways.

The military's media wing later said that its engineers had cleared Murree Expressway.

"Heavy machinery from Murree, army engineers division and FWO are working without any pause to assist people who are struck," the ISPR said, adding: "Where machinery can’t reach, troops have been moved and they are clearing traffic and opening roads."

In the evening, the ISPR said all stranded people will be shifted to five relief camps set up by the army in Murree.

"Food, shelter will be provided to people affected by heavy snowfall. Army relief centre has been established at Army School of Technicians Barian, Military College Murree, Jhika Gali, APS Kuldana, station supply depot Sunny Bank," the ISPR statement read.

Meanwhile, some of the tourists who remain stranded, told Geo News that the civil administration was nowhere to be seen, adding that rescue and relief work was being carried out by Pakistan Army officials only. They praised army officials for reaching out to them, giving them food items and making efforts to clear the roads.

In a statement, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said he was keeping a close eye on the situation in Galiyat which has also been overcrowded with tourists in the current winter season.

The entry of cars into Galiyat has been banned completely, he said, adding that no untoward accident had occurred in the area where three feet of snow fell a day earlier.

The chief minister added that tourists who had been stranded in cars were rescued and shifted to rest houses and hotels. "Galiyat Development Authority, Rescue 1122 and local administration have been put on high alert to deal with any untoward situation," he said.

Khan also instructed all deputy commissioners to ensure that all homeless people in the province were moved to shelter homes amid the snow and rain and no one slept in the open.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed sorrow and regret over the deaths in Murree, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill shared on Twitter.

"All agencies have been mobilised. Army, 1122, Hazara div(KP) and Pindi div (Punjab) resources are mobilised to open up [and] clear the blocked areas," he added.

Later, the prime minister tweeted himself, acknowledging that district administration was "caught unprepared" due to "unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions".

" have ordered an inquiry and putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies."

Meanwhile, opposition political leaders criticised the government for its handling of the influx of tourists and inadequate preparation.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said he was heartbroken over the tragedy in Murree and questioned who was responsible for the deaths.

"Where was the government all the while? What arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? Incompetence is fast turning into criminality. Prior arrangements & round the clock supervision were the normal SOPs in the past," he tweeted.

Terming the deaths heartbreaking, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman said governments "needed to be more vigilant about the flood of tourists on the Galiyat routes".

"Instead of seeking more tourists govt should have given a warning for jammed roads. These were tragic & avoidable losses which no one intended, but no one acted in time either. Lessons need to be learnt," she added.

"The job of governments is not only to count tourists but also to make advance arrangements and security measures for them [...] These deaths are not due to snowfall, but due to government negligence," tweeted PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

Later, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry responded to the criticism, saying "it is unfortunate that the opposition is playing politics over the matter."

Addressing a press conference alongside Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, he said, "The opposition's politics, however, does not hold any importance."

"They will criticise no matter what," the minister said, adding that the government was fully alert.

"We are [standing] behind our people and the situation is improving. The [Muree] Expressway is now open and more routes will be opened soon," he said.

It is pertinent to mention that Chaudhry had earlier in the week cited the arrival of around 100,000 tourist vehicles to the hill station as a sign of "increase in prosperity and income of common man".

Raja Yasir Abbasi, the secretary general of the Hotels Association, announced free stay and food arrangements for tourists stranded in Murree.

Speaking to DawnNewsTV, he railed against the local administration for their "mismanagement", saying that the death of a police officer and his family were wholly due to "departmental and administrative laziness".

He also criticised the interior minister's notification of shutting down Murree, saying it had spread fear and panic among the people.

The secretary general also contested declaring the area "calamity hit", saying that such a tag was for sudden acts of God and not for situations such as this where the Met office had predicted the rough weather "10 days ago".

Earlier today, Chaudhry also appealed to people to not visit the hill station.

"A large crowd [is headed towards] Murree and hilly areas. Hundreds of thousands of cars are travelling to these areas. It is impossible for the local administration to provide facilities to people in such a large number," he tweeted.

Chaudhry urged those people who were at home to delay their travel plans to those areas for some time.

A large number of people were stranded and flights faced delays as rain continued to lash the federal capital and Rawalpindi for the fourth consecutive day on Friday.

Due to continuous snowfall and traffic congestion in Murree, the district administration imposed a ban on entry of more vehicles.

Snowfall, which began on Tuesday night, continued with regular intervals, attracting thousands of tourists. However, due to the rush of visitors, many families ended up getting stranded on roads. It has been reported that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station.

In a statement, Chief Traffic Officer Taimoor Khan said entry of vehicles into Murree had been banned from Friday night onwards and cars were being diverted from toll plazas and other entrances.

He said since snowfall started on Monday morning, more than 155,000 vehicles had entered Murree and 135,000 had so far left.
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Before khan promotes his tourism mantra its better he creates the necessary infrastructure and safety measures beforehand that , which can stop tragedies like this.

Here in the UK if it snows heavy roads come to a standstill schools close etc old people freeze to death and choke up the hospital beds in winter.

and these people in pakistan want to go to the himalayas to enjoy snow and freezing temperatures in high altitude areas , I bet the locals in those areas probably think these people are crazy flocking here in a snowstorm .


But anyway a horrible tragedy may Allah give sabr to the families .
 
1gKDjeL.jpg
 
People had to take shelters in cars because hotels raised their prices exorbitantly. They were charging Rs 20000 to Rs 40000 per night.

Pakistanis never spare any chance to earn money. A year back, when earthquake struck Azad Kashmir, heavy machinery rental shops raised their prices massively. Absolutely lack of empathty!
 
mazkhan said:
Before khan promotes his tourism mantra its better he creates the necessary infrastructure and safety measures beforehand that , which can stop tragedies like this.

Here in the UK if it snows heavy roads come to a standstill schools close etc old people freeze to death and choke up the hospital beds in winter.

and these people in pakistan want to go to the himalayas to enjoy snow and freezing temperatures in high altitude areas , I bet the locals in those areas probably think these people are crazy flocking here in a snowstorm .


But anyway a horrible tragedy may Allah give sabr to the families .
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people on social media and over here criticizing the choices people of Pakistan make dont understand the circumstances.

Most of us have been abroad and seen snowfall. To us its a normal thing, infact many hate it as they have an idea how shoes get wet and during the whole time you stand in the cold not being able to feel anything.

Pakistani people dont have much activities to do as families or with friends. You can go to a restaurant and thats about it. We dont have amusement parks, we dont have a movie culture. Even having food in a restaurant is damn expensive under the current inflation going on.

People can also afford to travel to swat or these far regions. Murree is easily accessible. You can go there, enjoy and be back and be able to go to your job the next day. Plus, when it snows its a good enjoyment for the people.

Had there been a weather warning by NDMA, trust me, people would had not went. NDMA often sends an sms. For example, if heavy rain is predicted they will msg. No sms msg was received by me or anyone in Pindi/Isb about the heavy snow. Thus, it is a failiure of NDMA and Meteorology department to an extent.

People on social media and celebrities blaming the choices of locals dont really bother to understand the situation. Right now people who dont like to travel or enjoy life are going around saying aur jao murree.... Insensitive comments reallly.
 
I find it very painful to read some of the views.

Lets stop blaming people. We have no idea why they went there etc - lets all offer our condolences and leave out judging intentions.
 
Syed1 said:
Army has to literally be called in for anything in Pakistan. Even in the most developed province of Punjab with rescue 1122 widely available, the Army has to be called to clear roads off snow. What use are our civilian institutions for?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Murree Snowfall Update:<br>▪︎23,000+ vehicles rescued and evacuated last night.<br>▪︎Heavy snowfall has started again.<br>▪︎Army platoons, Rangers and FC teams are also reaching on ground.<br>▪︎16-19 deaths have been reported.<br>▪︎Evacuation process continues<br> <a href="https://t.co/2KSNVwVHBu">pic.twitter.com/2KSNVwVHBu</a></p>— PTI (@PTIofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1479722029234282497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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You do know that it happens everywhere? The military isn’t just there to go to wars and protect borders.

In the UK, the military was deployed amid the fuel crisis. They were also deployed during the Covid pandemic. It’s not about being developed, because if it was then the UK government wouldn’t be deploying military whenever there’s a crisis.
 
This is so tragic.
RIP to the deceased and their families.
 
Seems 22 dead now.

Such a tragedy and so sad.

Have people not listened to the warnings? Not enough done to deter people from travelling there?
 
gkb101277867 said:
Do they not have heating in the cars?
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When you're trapped like this for hours, fuel and battery can run out then obviously no.

People are stupid for rushing off to Murree after hearing about the snow. I'm sure most of them would know it's such a treacherous journey in such dangerous conditions.

RIP to the deceased.
 
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.

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.

https://arynews.tv/kaghan-valley-closed-for-tourists-after-murree-tragedy/
 
Syed1 said:
Iss quam ko koi theek nahi kar sakta


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LIVE from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Murree?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Murree</a><br><br>Despite the bad weather conditions, tourists are still heading to the hill station. They fought with police officers who stopped them <a href="https://t.co/TICcSth9Su">pic.twitter.com/TICcSth9Su</a></p>— Samaa English (@SamaaEnglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamaaEnglish/status/1479779131055292419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.

The local gov. are also to be blamed. When there are car parking available for 4000-10000 vechicles, how on earth can you allow 100 000 cars into the area?

And the tourist agencies need to create more avareness among people on how they prepare for such journeys.
 
saeedhk said:
People had to take shelters in cars because hotels raised their prices exorbitantly. They were charging Rs 20000 to Rs 40000 per night.

Pakistanis never spare any chance to earn money. A year back, when earthquake struck Azad Kashmir, heavy machinery rental shops raised their prices massively. Absolutely lack of empathty!
Click to expand...

Last year the prices of face masks increased insanely as soon as the news of Corona break out spread. We Pakistanis have this special beemari and still we cry for honest leaders.
 
No there is no conspiracy here at all. Just too many people caught in Murree at the wrong time.
 
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while expressing his shock and grief over the deaths of tourists in Murree, ordered on Saturday an inquiry into the tragedy and called preparing regulations to avert such tragedies in future.

Imran said in a tweeted that heavy snowfall and a huge rush of tourists caught the district administration unprepared. “Shocked & upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall & rush of ppl proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared. Have ordered inquiry & putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies,” Imran tweeted.

Meanwhile addressing a press conference in Lahore, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that a record snowfall in Murree and its suburbs during the last 48 hours and an extraordinary rush of tourists to the hill resort caused traffic jam in the area and resulted in the tragic loss of precious lives.

He told reporters that Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken stern notice of the incident and directed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to reach Murree, adding that Chief Minister Buzdar had already left Lahore for the hill station.

“Due to heavy snowfall the situation deteriorated,” the minister said, referring to the death of nearly two dozen stranded tourists on the Murree Road. “More difficult situation arose in Kuldana and Barrian, and unfortunately precious human lives had been lost in these areas.”

He said that five Army platoons had joined the local administration and other rescue personnel in Murree, adding that the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) machinery had been deployed. “The Murree-Islamabad Expressway has been cleared and evacuation of stranded people was under way.”
For a week now, the minister said, Murree administration and the Punjab government had been warning the tourists that the weather conditions in Murree and the upper areas were not good and that the tourists should refrain from traveling there.

“If such a large number of tourists would throng these areas in a short time, the problems are bound to arise,” he said. “It was difficult for any administration to handle such a sudden situation,” he added. There is a lot of rush [in the upcountry areas] and there is no room for more people.”

The minister appealed to media that as a strong forum it should inform the people about the situation in the upper areas. “We want to promote tourism but it does not mean that such a large number of people reach tourist resorts within 48 hours,” the minister added.

The minister said that the government was fully alert, and it stood with the people and the situation was improving and process of evacuation had been started. The entire nation regretted the loss of lives in Murree and adjoining areas, he added.

Replying to the media questions, the minister stressed that all humanly possible measures were taken by the administration to address the situation. He told reporters that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafs (PTI) National Assembly Member Sadaqat Abbasi was currently in Murree to supervise the rescue operations.

“The administration has taken emergency measures, but all should realise that such a situation should not have arisen. This was a novel situation because such an influx of tourists was never witnessed in the past. We should learn from this incident to avoid such incidents in the future.”

Lamenting the attitude of the opposition parties over the tragedy, Chaudhry said that Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who had himself been elected from Murree in the past, held press conferences in Rawalpindi, instead of going to help the people.

He also criticised the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, saying that the senior PML-N leader, who was enjoying holidays, also showed her apathy towards the affected people through her senseless reaction. He said that the opposition leaders there just to make noises.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2337850/pm-orders-inquiry-into-murree-tragedy
 
Kaddy said:
Last year the prices of face masks increased insanely as soon as the news of Corona break out spread. We Pakistanis have this special beemari and still we cry for honest leaders.
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Prices going up when things are increasing in demand? Happens everywhere.

When hotels in Glasgow were fully booked out for the COP26, Hosts on AirBNB were charging £1000+ per night for a room. Again, not sure why people don’t understand what happened in Pakistan can happen anywhere else.
 
The Punjab Police on Sunday said that more than 500 families in the calamity hit Murree were rescued and taken to safety in the last 24 hours, after at least 22 tourists stranded in their vehicles during a snowstorm died on Friday night.

According to police officials, all major highways in Murree have been cleared for traffic and about 600 to 700 vehicles were evacuated from the town last night.

Officials further stated that Rawalpindi police, district administration and the Pakistan Army soldiers remained active throughout the night.

“Heavy snowfall on Murree's main highways caused 20 to 25 large trees to fall which had blocked roads. All tourists were rescued before nightfall and taken to safe places,” said Punjab Police spokesperson.

Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Ashfaq Khan, CPO Rawalpindi Sajid Kayani, Chief Traffic Officer Taimur Khan and Deputy superintendent of police Murree remained engaged in the operation till late hours of the night.

Punjab police announced that the Lower Topa Express Highway from Jhika Gali; Lawrence College from Jhika Gali and the RMK road from Kuldana were clear for traffic.

However, traffic coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) to Murree was closed.

“More than a thousand Rawalpindi Police and Traffic Police personnel took part in the rescue operation,” the police stated.

The spokesperson said that the officials are present on roads from Islamabad to Murree, which will remain closed today (Sunday).

He added that staff at public and private hospitals in Murree are also on alert to deal with any emergencies.

CM Buzdar conducts aerial inspection of Murree's snow-hit areas

Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday conducted an aerial inspection of the areas of Murree, affected due to heavy snowfall.

The minister reviewed the relief activities being carried out in the affected areas and also observed the relief operation.

CM Buzdar was also briefed about the relief activities by the Relief Commissioner/Senior Member Board of Revenue during his visit.

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, Special Assistant to CM Punjab on Information Hassan Khawar, Chief Secretary, IG Police and other officers concerned were also present.

“Every Pakistani is saddened by the tragic incident that took place in Murree. All sympathies of the Punjab government are with the families of the deceased”, CM Buzdar said, paying his condolences to the bereaved families.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/233785...RCMHZFeS1HVnpTSTdlOXdJV19VSmJRbzRROVktUFZYUlI
 
Locals were selling a boiled egg for Rs 500 to stranded tourists in Muree. A cup of tea was priced at Rs 500 too!
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Prices going up when things are increasing in demand? Happens everywhere.

When hotels in Glasgow were fully booked out for the COP26, Hosts on AirBNB were charging £1000+ per night for a room. Again, not sure why people don’t understand what happened in Pakistan can happen anywhere else.
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You dont understand this issue of going to murree..
People of murree are hated by pakistanis due to such acts.

They have a habit of fighting and arguing with tourists. The locals there dont show hospitality and are always willing to earn a quick buck. Whether its charging extra for products or even charging rs. 80-100 for using the washroom. This is why they get hate. Now you will say its allright, its a tourist place etc, problem is such charges are even there in the mosques around.

Anyways, that is what they do in usual days.

People are now angry because in such times of chaos, a hotel room which costs 5000 ruppees were now being qouted at rs. 25 000 to 50 000 per night. And let me remind you these are hotels which dont have water or heating services.

Prices going up during demand is right, but this was a situation of life and death now which lead to alot of.people sleeping in their cars.
They were even charging rs. 5000 for pushing the car etc, thats how shrewed the locals of murree are.

Youbare giving the example of glasgow, you have to understand the consumer behavior.

A tourist going to lets say to hunza or naran kaghan doesnt just go there. They first book a hotel and than travel.

The consumer behavior of murree tourist is different. Most of the people are those that go for a single day trip, have tea, roam around and be back. They dont go there by first booking a hotel and than enter as most are back within a day.
The situation here is people got stranded and had to find booking where these jerks jacked up prices.

Anyways, after 21 deaths got reported, these hotels and restaurant mafia than had to offer there places for free. It was a decision that probably came after the hotel association of murree realized the mistake they comitted and to save face they had to offer hotel area for free. But by than it was too late, 21 people had died and the way they died is very depressing in this day and age. Families posting snaps one day ago all happy while travelling to murree to see snow and enjoy only for them to have passed away in their cars.

And we have people doing victim blaming as usual
 
saeedhk said:
Locals were selling a boiled egg for Rs 500 to stranded tourists in Muree. A cup of tea was priced at Rs 500 too!
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This is not how you treat tourists (read travellers). You have every right to earn money but not in this way. Yesterday I heard many strange examples on a show;

1) When a family has parked their car, a little boy comes to them and says he will 'protect' their car. The car-owners says "-Son there is no need, this is a public car parking, nothing will happen". Then the boy goes on and says "-do not blame me if someone scratches your car", he is basically saying if you don't pay he will scratch the car himself and then the car owner just gives him 200 rupees, just to protect his car from this boy.

2) In some sharp turns on the road they deliberately park a truck and when the tourists arrive to that corner and while avoiding colliding with the truck they end up stucking the car in the snow. And on further up the hill young boys are sitting there ready to sell their wheel chains for many thousands of rupees. And if someone refuses to buy they start clapping on the car and yell. "-hurry up, you are responsible for the long queue behind" and people with small children in car just end up paying them to avoid further trouble.

This is a real shame.
 
IAJ said:
This is not how you treat tourists (read travellers). You have every right to earn money but not in this way. Yesterday I heard many strange examples on a show;

1) When a family has parked their car, a little boy comes to them and says he will 'protect' their car. The car-owners says "-Son there is no need, this is a public car parking, nothing will happen". Then the boy goes on and says "-do not blame me if someone scratches your car", he is basically saying if you don't pay he will scratch the car himself and then the car owner just gives him 200 rupees, just to protect his car from this boy.

2) In some sharp turns on the road they deliberately park a truck and when the tourists arrive to that corner and while avoiding colliding with the truck they end up stucking the car in the snow. And on further up the hill young boys are sitting there ready to sell their wheel chains for many thousands of rupees. And if someone refuses to buy they start clapping on the car and yell. "-hurry up, you are responsible for the long queue behind" and people with small children in car just end up paying them to avoid further trouble.

This is a real shame.
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I fear we are awaiting another 2005 earthquake situation, and nature will take its course, we are just asking for Allah's wrath with such disgusting and inhumane behavior and greed. We as a nation are beyond repair. May Allah show us All the right path and whoever responsible for this will have to face the ultimate justice one day.
 
The Punjab government on Sunday has decided to pay Rs800,000 to families of those killed in the Murree tragedy on Friday night.

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar after he conducted an aerial inspection of the areas of Murree affected due to heavy snowfall.

Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat, Punjab Government Spokesperson Hasaan Khawar, chief secretary of Punjab, senior member of the Board of Revenue Punjab, commissioner Rawalpindi, and inspector general Punjab Police were also present in the meeting.

It was decided during the meeting that the Punjab government will provide financial assistance to the families of those killed in the Murree tragedy.

Sources said that Rs176 million has been approved in the meeting for the families of those killed in the resort town, under which Rs800,000 will be given to each of the 22 victim's families.

Immediate financial assistance of Rs33.5 million has also been sanctioned for those who lost their lives in yesterday's rains.

Inquiry committee formed

The meeting also took a detailed look at the causes of the tragedy and decided to form a high-level inquiry committee headed by the additional chief secretary home.

The committee will determine the perpetrators of negligence within seven days and action against those found guilty will also be taken within a week.

The meeting further decided to upgrade the administrative structure of Murree and give it the status of a district.

In Murree, the additional deputy commissioner and superintendent of police were deployed to construct small links per road for traffic jams.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the provincial government spokesperson said: "We will complete the investigation in every aspect in the light of the instructions of the prime minister."

Khawar further stated that the Punjab government will develop a better system by identifying the flaws in the existing system from the tragedy that took the lives of 22 tourists trapped in their vehicles by heavy snowfall.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan, while expressing his shock and grief over the deaths of tourists in Murree, ordered an inquiry into the tragedy and called preparing regulations to avert such tragedies in the future.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/233788...RCMHZFeS1HVnpTSTdlOXdJV19VSmJRbzRROVktUFZYUlI
 
The Punjab Police on Sunday said that more than 500 families in the calamity hit Murree were rescued and taken to safety in the last 24 hours, after at least 22 tourists stranded in their vehicles during a snowstorm died on Friday night.

According to police officials, all major highways in Murree have been cleared for traffic and about 600 to 700 vehicles were evacuated from the town last night.

Officials further stated that Rawalpindi police, district administration and the Pakistan Army soldiers remained active throughout the night.

“Heavy snowfall on Murree's main highways caused 20 to 25 large trees to fall which had blocked roads. All tourists were rescued before nightfall and taken to safe places,” said Punjab Police spokesperson.

Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Ashfaq Khan, CPO Rawalpindi Sajid Kayani, Chief Traffic Officer Taimur Khan and Deputy superintendent of police Murree remained engaged in the operation till late hours of the night.

Punjab police announced that the Lower Topa Express Highway from Jhika Gali; Lawrence College from Jhika Gali and the RMK road from Kuldana were clear for traffic.

However, traffic coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) to Murree was closed.

“More than a thousand Rawalpindi Police and Traffic Police personnel took part in the rescue operation,” the police stated.

The spokesperson said that the officials are present on roads from Islamabad to Murree, which will remain closed today (Sunday).

He added that staff at public and private hospitals in Murree are also on alert to deal with any emergencies.

CM Buzdar conducts aerial inspection

Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday conducted an aerial inspection of the areas of Murree, affected due to heavy snowfall.

The minister reviewed the relief activities being carried out in the affected areas and also observed the relief operation.

CM Buzdar was also briefed about the relief activities by the relief commissioner/senior member Board of Revenue during his visit.

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, Special Assistant to CM Punjab on Information Hassan Khawar, Chief Secretary, IG Police and other officers concerned were also present.

“Every Pakistani is saddened by the tragic incident that took place in Murree. All sympathies of the Punjab government are with the families of the deceased," CM Buzdar said, paying his condolences to the bereaved families.

All main arteries cleared for traffic

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday mentioned that “all main communication arteries” were cleared for all types of movement as the rescue operation in Murree continued.

According to the military media wing’s press release, “after clearance of main roads, army engineers are now focusing [on] road links.”

The statement further added that relief camps and medical facilitates are fully operational and the army transport is working to move stranded tourists from Murree to Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/233785...RCMHZFeS1HVnpTSTdlOXdJV19VSmJRbzRROVktUFZYUlI
 
ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday lashed out at the PTI-led government and held it responsible for the Murree tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 20 people after their vehicles ended up being stranded in heavy snowfall, Geo News reported.

In a statement, the Opposition leader said that the horrific Murree tragedy has proved that there is no functional government in the country.

"Only incompetency, impassivity, cruelty, and oppression are prevalent in this country," he maintained.

He urged the government to reveal the facts and figures about the deaths and inform the masses of the current situation of Murree so that a strategy could be devised accordingly.

Shahbaz expressed his concern over the reports of stranded tourist’s vehicles in snow and said that per the reports, thousands of vehicles are still stranded in Muree and Galiat.

"The government should ensure everyone stranded in Murree reaches their homes safely," he said.

The PML-N president criticized the government for issuing statements and holding citizens responsible for the incident.

He added that the government should perform its administrative responsibilities instead of shifting the blame on citizens.

He also lauded the local residents of Murree for helping the stranded tourists.

Shahbaz expressed sympathy with the families of those who lost their lives in the storm, adding that this tragedy has hurt the nation badly.

"If precaution were taken on time, it would not have been turned into such tragedy," he said.

GEO
 
Earth mover tumbles in Murree:

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A preliminary investigation report of the Murree tragedy revealed on Sunday that poor conditions of the roads in the hill station and its outskirts was one of the factors that caused the enormous traffic jam, ultimately leaving at least 22 tourists freezing to death in vehicles trapped by the blizzard.

The report submitted to the Punjab government stated that the roads had not been repaired for the past two years and freezing temperatures led to more potholes on the roads, hampering the flow of traffic.

The report also blamed the authorities concerned for not removing the snow from the main exit point of the tourist resort town which also contributed to the massive traffic jam.

The probe also revealed that the tourists were forced to stay in their vehicles due to prolonged power outages in different parts of Murree.

The ban on entry of vehicles was imposed only after the intervention of deputy commissioner and CPO Rawalpindi district, read the report, adding that drivers of the machinery to remove snow from the roads also did not arrive on time.

The report also highlighted that there was no parking plaza in Murree where tourists could park their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has constituted a committee headed by the additional chief secretary for further investigation.

The Punjab police on Sunday said that more than 500 families in the calamity hit Murree were rescued and taken to safety in the last 24 hours.

According to police officials, all major highways in Murree have been cleared for traffic and about 600 to 700 vehicles were evacuated from the town last night.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/233789...RCMHZFeS1HVnpTSTdlOXdJV19VSmJRbzRROVktUFZYUlI
 
Syed1 said:
Army has to literally be called in for anything in Pakistan. Even in the most developed province of Punjab with rescue 1122 widely available, the Army has to be called to clear roads off snow. What use are our civilian institutions for?
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Even in Canada and US, Army is always deployed when it comes to such natural disasters.

We had floods in BC, Canada in November and 300 military personnel were deployed. Media said highway is gone and won't reopen soon, Canadian Army built it within a fortnight.

Army can build roads, bridges, conduct sandbagging, inspect damages, evacuate people.

Army has state of the art gear.
 
The government cannot micro manage everyone and cannot help people who do not want to help themselves.

The people going to Murree knew the weather conditions, forecasts and knew what they were going to face but they still wanted to go to Murree. These people were misbehaving with the police officers who warned them about the weather and wanted them to go back.

The opposition as usual is on a ruthless witch hunt for point scoring opportunities.
 
Very sad, may the families of the dead find peace.
 
Major said:
people on social media and over here criticizing the choices people of Pakistan make dont understand the circumstances.

Most of us have been abroad and seen snowfall. To us its a normal thing, infact many hate it as they have an idea how shoes get wet and during the whole time you stand in the cold not being able to feel anything.

Pakistani people dont have much activities to do as families or with friends. You can go to a restaurant and thats about it. We dont have amusement parks, we dont have a movie culture. Even having food in a restaurant is damn expensive under the current inflation going on.

People can also afford to travel to swat or these far regions. Murree is easily accessible. You can go there, enjoy and be back and be able to go to your job the next day. Plus, when it snows its a good enjoyment for the people.

Had there been a weather warning by NDMA, trust me, people would had not went. NDMA often sends an sms. For example, if heavy rain is predicted they will msg. No sms msg was received by me or anyone in Pindi/Isb about the heavy snow. Thus, it is a failiure of NDMA and Meteorology department to an extent.

People on social media and celebrities blaming the choices of locals dont really bother to understand the situation. Right now people who dont like to travel or enjoy life are going around saying aur jao murree.... Insensitive comments reallly.
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I agree with your point of "no entertainment for local citizens". In pakistan elites and army have there golf courses, gymkhanas, mess houses and many other entertainment places only for their people. But for aam people, there is nothing except eating in restaurants or attending weddings. I feel we should have lots of parks, amusement centers, kids playing areas in order to enhance the level of relaxation among public.
 
Savak said:
The government cannot micro manage everyone and cannot help people who do not want to help themselves.

The people going to Murree knew the weather conditions, forecasts and knew what they were going to face but they still wanted to go to Murree. These people were misbehaving with the police officers who warned them about the weather and wanted them to go back.

The opposition as usual is on a ruthless witch hunt for point scoring opportunities.
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stop using this excuse for every mismanagment of the govt for gods sake. Every failiure that takes place, you fans will whine that dont score points.

You make insensitive comments that the people that went there deserved to die.


Better hope that you dont get stuck in cold in future and when you enter a building the hotel staff doesn't end up increasing the hotel prices x100 and you have little money with you.

Easy for you to question peoples decisions while sitting in North America where you can go anywhere to enjoy a social life. We Pakistani's dont have the same luxuries and have these few options, especially the middle class.

Had this been PMLN govt, the mantra would had been the poor tourist. Now in PTIs govt the mantra is tourist at fault
 
Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the inquiry committee – formed to probe the Murree tragedy - should investigate and bring facts of the incident to the forefront as soon as possible.

The premier’s instructions came during a meeting in which the attendees were briefed on the Murree tragedy by Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar.

“Everything needs to be regulated in tourist places, emphasis should be laid on overcoming the lack of infrastructure in Murree. The whole issue should be handled in a contemporary manner,” the PM stressed.

Earlier, a preliminary investigation report into the Murree tragedy – which claimed the lives of 23 tourists who were stranded in their vehicles on January 7 night – revealed that the roads in and around the hill station had not been repaired for the last two years and that caused the snow accumulated in the crevices to harden causing the traffic jam.

The report, submitted to the Punjab government on January 9, further disclosed that a slippery spot outside a private cafe in Murree led to the main exit from the hill station. However, there was no government machinery to remove the snow that could have allowed the tourists to escape.

According to Express, today, the forum also discussed the foreign funding case. SAPM Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib gave a briefing on the case and Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen briefed the forum on the economic situation.

“We have provided the details of our donors to the Election Commission. It has also brought out the funding sources of other parties. The Finance Supplementary Bill will be approved by the Assembly this week,” SAPM Awan said.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338009/pm-imran-instructs-for-speedy-inquiry-into-murree-tragedy
 
Kroll said:
When you're trapped like this for hours, fuel and battery can run out then obviously no.

People are stupid for rushing off to Murree after hearing about the snow. I'm sure most of them would know it's such a treacherous journey in such dangerous conditions.

RIP to the deceased.
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They obviously didn't otherwise they would have avoided it. Seems like plain ignorance to me. Murree is obviously a very attractive tourist destination for Pakistanis from other parts of the country, but with a population which isn't used to safety considerations, that needs to be addressed.

Having said that, really heavy snowfall is testing even in first world countries.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
They obviously didn't otherwise they would have avoided it. Seems like plain ignorance to me. Murree is obviously a very attractive tourist destination for Pakistanis from other parts of the country, but with a population which isn't used to safety considerations, that needs to be addressed.

Having said that, really heavy snowfall is testing even in first world countries.
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Yep, I was in Pak over the summer and visited Murree and could see even in the summer that its not an easy route coming from the Punjab/Isb side. The route from the north would be even worse.

You won't believe how lax people are over there concerning safety. Covid is a case in point, covid what covid!?
 
Opposition calls for judicial commission to probe Murree deaths in heated NA session

The opposition on Monday sharply rebuked the government for its "criminal negligence" in dealing with the events that lead to the deaths of at least 22 tourists in Murree over the weekend and called for the formation of a judicial commission to probe the tragic incident.

The NA was originally slated to discuss the controversial Finance (Supplementary) Bill, generally known as the mini-budget. However, the discussion was deferred for tomorrow (Tuesday).

Shortly after the recitation of the Holy Quran and the singing of the national anthem, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the House would discuss the tragic incident in Murree and would discuss the finance bill tomorrow as an "understanding" had been reached with the opposition.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif began his speech by castigating the government over its "failure" in handling the situation."There was heavy snowfall, but there was no one to ask about the people. Innocent children, the youth and the elderly died and nobody asked about their [well-being] for 20 hours."

Shehbaz questioned whether the incident was a "natural" occurrence or "manslaughter".

"The reality is that there were no arrangements in place," he said, adding that traffic officials and authorities responsible for removing the snow were not present.

"People kept asking for help but no one showed up [...]. This was a criminal act of negligence and inefficiency and cannot be pardoned. When the Met Office had warned of excessive snowfall, what measures did the government take?"

If there was an influx of tourists flocking to the hill station, what steps did the government take to deter them, he asked. "Was a red alert issued? You can't hide from the facts."

Shehbaz stated that this was not the first time that it had snowed in Murree or the first time that tourists had inundated the hill station. He said that people were unable to visit for the past two years due to the pandemic, but their happiness had turned into sorrow due to the government's "corrupt approach, worst criminal negligence and administrative inefficiency".

He said that the entire country was grieving but government officials were not bothered. "They said that the administration was not prepared. If that was the case then what are you there for? Resign and go home."

Shehbaz said that a sitting minister had also commented during this period about how good the country's economy was doing which was evident in the way thousands were visiting Murree.

His comment was an apparent reference to remarks made by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in which he had linked the increase in tourists to the people's economic prosperity.

"There was no space in Murree's hotels. When this incident occurred [...] one Nero was asleep in Islamabad and the other was busy rigging [the polls]."

He said that the government was giving excuses when it was responsible for putting preventive measures in place. "SOPs were in place for several years. The PML-N government had procured and installed machinery [...] funds were issued to departments to store salt. There was a supervisory committee and the traffic police was assigned responsibilities."

He alleged that the government dealt with the incident in the same way it was handling the country.

"I believe this is a criminal act," Shehbaz said, reiterating that the PML-N government used to have steps in place to combat snowfall in Murree.

He said that the government was "100 per cent responsible" for the deaths of the tourists. "The nation will not forgive them and will hold them accountable."

Shehbaz also termed the committee, which includes civil servants, formed by the government to investigate the incident a "joke".

"People died because of their criminal negligence and they say a committee will investigate," he said, adding that the "murders" would not be forgiven.

Instead, he demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incident so that the culprits could be exposed to the nation. He said that a resolution should also be passed by the House in this regard.The information minister spoke after Shehbaz wrapped up his tirade against the government and lashed out at the opposition leader for not speaking like a leader.

"He [Shehbaz] is here after taking an exemption from court. I thought he would speak like a leader but he has once again proven that he is just a trickster who has nothing to say," Chaudhry said.

The minister said that the entire nation was in sorrow over the incident in Murree. "It was thought that this incident would be discussed in a manner that leads to unity, but leaders are born and not made through false means."

He claimed that the Sharif family had created "palaces" using government resources instead of spending it on development and infrastructure in Punjab and Murree.

"They are questioning a government that created 13 new tourist resorts in three years," he said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first to promote the country as a tourist destination.

"Today, when there is a revolution in the country's tourism, they are teaching us about what should and should not have been done."

The minister said that more than 100,000 tourists entered Murree over the span of five days. He added that while PTI MNAs and MPAs were helping with the rescue efforts, PML-N leaders were nowhere to be spotted.

"There was no other party present on ground except for the PTI," he said, adding that the roads were cleared in 24 hours. "The Punjab chief minister, the federal government, PTI ministers and workers were all in Murree."

The minister said that there was a tragic incident every other day when Shehbaz was the Punjab chief minister, adding that during PML-N's tenure their focus was on building their "palaces".

"A new reality of internal tourism has developed in Pakistan which can't be operated using the old administrative setup. The government is trying to implement a more modern setup and administrative structure to cater to this large a number of people."

He said that because of the ineptitude of past governments, the current one had to build everything from scratch. "We are building the Naya Pakistan we had promised."
Bilawal lashes out at govt's 'hypocrisy'

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari began by lamenting the fact that innocent families and children, who were stranded in snow a mere two hours from the capital, did not receive the help they deserved.

On the other hand, the government took all necessary measures when a relative of the premier was stuck in Chitral due to bad weather, he said in an apparent reference to PM Imran's sister Aleema Khan who was among tourists rescued after a glacial outburst in 2019.

He said that the common man was in danger "just two hours away" from the prime minister's house. "There were messages on social media. Phone calls were being made to bureaucratic offices and to police officials so that someone could take notice."

In an apparent reference to Chaudhry, who had left the assembly at this point, Bilawal said that a minister was celebrating the influx of tourists in Murree and hailed it as proof of the country's economic progress.

"And when news of the incident broke, instead of expressing grief and ensuring help, the same minister started victim-blaming on social media and said that the people shouldn't have gone."

Bilawal said that the country hadn't ever seen such "hypocrisy", but added that this was expected from this government.

"Since the PTI government came into power, the prime minister and officials always blame the victims."

He recalled that when the Hazaras in Quetta staged a protest in early 2021 against the killing of 11 miners in a residential compound near a mine site in Balochistan's Mach coalfield area, PM Imran had told them to stop blackmailing him by refusing to bury the bodies.

He noted that government officials had also done the same when the gang-rape of a woman occurred on the Lahore motorway in 2020.

"And when the Murree incident happened just two hours away from the prime minister's house, the prime minister took to social media to say that the tourists should have checked the weather."

He reiterated the opposition leader's demand for a judicial inquiry into the incident so that action could be taken against those responsible.

"We will only be able to make arrangements for preventing such incidents in the future after conducting a proper investigation."

Bilawal said that inflation was at an all-time high in Pakistan but the blood of the people was "cheap". He said forgetting the incident and merely forming a committee to investigate it would be an injustice to the families of the victims.

He added that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was attending a PTI meeting when the incident was taking place. "The entire nation saw that the army and the administration managed the rescue work. He merely conducted an aerial inspection and returned."

He said that if the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister were truly elected representatives, they would have immediately reached the hill station to help the people. "If they were unable to reach them, then they should have contacted their families to offer condolences."

PPP's Khursheed Shah and PTI's Riaz Fatyana were among several lawmakers that addressed the session after Bilawal concluded his speech. Later, the NA session was adjourned till 4:00pm on Tuesday (tomorrow).

https://www.dawn.com/news/1668692/o...n-to-probe-murree-deaths-in-heated-na-session
 
Seems to be turning into a political issue.

Government to blame here or are people being unfair?
 
Saj said:
Seems to be turning into a political issue.

Government to blame here or are people being unfair?
Click to expand...

Bit of both but people in Pakistan are not known for following advisory notices and instructions. The Govt should have handled them with an iron fist from the beginning.
 
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib on Monday said that the incumbent government has ordered an inquiry into the Murree tragedy to fix responsibility.

The inquiry committee would submit its report after collecting facts regarding the tragedy, he said while talking to a private television channel.

The whole nation was saddened over the precious loss of human lives, he said.

Fifty thousand more vehicles wanted to enter Murree to enjoy the snowfall last weekend but the administration timely stopped all the vehicles to protect public from inconvenience, he stated.

To a question about facilities for tourists, he said the incumbent government is taking all possible steps to facilitate the domestic and foreign tourists.

On opposition’s long march plan to topple the ruling party of Pakistan, he said the opposition parties are standing on weak grounds and the leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz could not do anything against the PTI, he added.

He said the government would complete its five-year term without facing any trouble, adding that the next elections would be held in 2023.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338158/govt-orders-inquiry-into-murree-incident-to-fix-responsibility
 
Savak said:
Bit of both but people in Pakistan are not known for following advisory notices and instructions. The Govt should have handled them with an iron fist from the beginning.
Click to expand...

I believe this is simply a case of enforcing rules and regulations, something which has always been an issue in the subcontinent. You would imagine in Malaysia, China or the UAE there would be less tolerance for stupidity.
 
MenInG said:
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib on Monday said that the incumbent government has ordered an inquiry into the Murree tragedy to fix responsibility.

The inquiry committee would submit its report after collecting facts regarding the tragedy, he said while talking to a private television channel.

The whole nation was saddened over the precious loss of human lives, he said.

Fifty thousand more vehicles wanted to enter Murree to enjoy the snowfall last weekend but the administration timely stopped all the vehicles to protect public from inconvenience, he stated.

To a question about facilities for tourists, he said the incumbent government is taking all possible steps to facilitate the domestic and foreign tourists.

On opposition’s long march plan to topple the ruling party of Pakistan, he said the opposition parties are standing on weak grounds and the leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz could not do anything against the PTI, he added.

He said the government would complete its five-year term without facing any trouble, adding that the next elections would be held in 2023.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338158/govt-orders-inquiry-into-murree-incident-to-fix-responsibility
Click to expand...

Lol lies.. so many from my immediate family went to murree. Many of uni mates were also there.

They only stopped entery when the deaths were reported the next day and when the traffic got chocked on top
 
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338204/man-arrested-for-extorting-stranded-tourists-during-murree-tragedy

The Rawalpindi police have arrested a man and seized his vehicle for allegedly creating artificial obstructions in Murree using snow so he could extort money from tourists stranded at the scenic spot.

The man, identified as Saqib Abbasi, would use a shovel to accumulate piles of snow on Bhurban Road during the recent Murree tragedy.

He would then ask for hefty money from those stuck on the road for his 'services' to pave the way for them.

The jeep used by the accused Saqib Abbasi has also been seized by the police. If a tourist's car got stuck, he would charge a hefty fee to get the vehicle out of the snow.

When the complaints of tourists came to light, City Police Officer (CPO) Sajid Kayani ordered his arrest, saying other accomplices and facilitators of the accused will also be apprehended.

According to the official, those who take advantage of the tourists seeking help will not escape the grip of the law.

Meanwhile, the National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) has extended the ban on entry into Murree for another six days, saying it could be extended in view of the forecast of the meteorological department, which has earlier predicted heavy snowfall at the scenic spot.

On Saturday, the nation was left stunned when the news of 22 deaths owing to a deadly blizzard in Murree hit the mainstream and social media.

The deaths of the tourists, including women and children who had flocked to the scenic spot to witness the snowfall, were nothing short of the tragedy.

The visitors 'froze to death' in their vehicles, amidst tonnes of snow in the surroundings as a snowstorm gripped the valley.
Click to expand...
 
District admin seals 15 hotels in Murree for overcharging

Fifteen hotels in Murree were sealed on Tuesday for overcharging citizens, according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for the Rawalpindi district administration.

The statement said the action was taken by the Murree assistant commissioner on complaints received though social media and at the Murree control room.

It added that the sealed hotels were located on Abu Dhabi Road, Kuldana Road, Upper Jhika Gali Road and Bank Road.

The development comes days after the deaths of 22 citizens who were stranded in snow amid a tourist influx that led to hours-long traffic jams on roads leading to the hill station.

Many tourists later complained on social media that hoteliers had pushed up prices to capitalise on stranded customers, prompting them to sleep in cars.

Man arrested for allegedly swindling money from tourists
Separately, Rawalpindi police arrested a man for allegedly swindling stranded tourists under the guise of helping them in Murree.

According to a tweet by Rawalpindi police, the suspect would deliberately shovel snow onto the roads. "When vehicles would get stuck, he would ask for a significant amount of money in return for towing the car with the help of his jeep."

The tweet said the suspect's jeep had also been confiscated. The action was taken on Rawalpindi CPO Sajid Kiyani's directives after he took notice of tourists' complaints, police said.

"The suspect's accomplices will also be arrested," police added.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1668890/district-admin-seals-15-hotels-in-murree-for-overcharging
 
Please cease the personal remarks

Stick to the OP
 
Thugs of Murree



These are the worst sort of scumbags one could imagine.

Is it the time to ban any sort of tourism in Murree??
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just look at this..... <a href="https://t.co/hf367n89tG">pic.twitter.com/hf367n89tG</a></p>— FinalCut (@Final_Cut71) <a href="https://twitter.com/Final_Cut71/status/1481311357869903874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The initial findings of the five-member committee to investigate the causes and lapses that led to the tragedy in Murree have pointed to the failure of relevant government departments to take preemptive measures in light of the warnings issued by the Met Office.

The metrological department in its advisory, issued on January 6, had deemed the weather unsafe with clear forewarnings about an imminent snowstorm, directing the concerned departments to block the roads leading to the tourist spot – the site of the tragic incident that claimed 22 lives on January 9.
“All authorities concerned are particularly advised to remain ‘alert’ during the forecast period,” the Met Office had stated.

The advisory had called for precautionary measures and asked the authorities to brace up for heavy snowfall. In addition, sources privy to the preliminary findings of the inquiry committee said that the report has also identified a range of other causes that resulted in the tragic incident, including the failure to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the warnings by the Met Office.

The committee discovered that the relevant departments, including district administration and disaster management authorities, did not coordinate to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the severe weather warnings issued by the Met office.The probe also uncovered that the measures were not taken to regulate the influx of tourists and traffic inflow into the resort town of Murree.

The committee also found that the authorities did not stop the entry of vehicles into Murree after the town reached its parking capacity. The contingency plan was not prepared to deal with a crisis situation, and preventive measures such as putting the vehicle-lifters on alert and deploying the traffic police were not taken.

“By 6 pm on January 7, more than 30,000 vehicles had entered Murree and the roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall but the administration did not close the routes,” the report pointed out. Further, the findings of the report highlight that the delayed call to the army for rescue operations, coupled with delayed coordination on emergency, further deteriorated the incident, leading to preventable causalities.
The parking capacity of the vehicles was exceeded by more than 120%, the report disclosed.

Each year, during the snowfall season, eight to nine snowfall camps are set up for the placement of heavy machinery and additional personnel are deployed in different areas before the entry of tourist vehicles. However, no such measure had been taken this year.

The initial findings of the five-member committee to investigate the causes and lapses that led to the tragedy in Murree have pointed to the failure of relevant government departments to take preemptive measures in light of the warnings issued by the Met Office.

The metrological department in its advisory, issued on January 6, had deemed the weather unsafe with clear forewarnings about an imminent snowstorm, directing the concerned departments to block the roads leading to the tourist spot – the site of the tragic incident that claimed 22 lives on January 9.
“All authorities concerned are particularly advised to remain ‘alert’ during the forecast period,” the Met Office had stated.

The advisory had called for precautionary measures and asked the authorities to brace up for heavy snowfall. In addition, sources privy to the preliminary findings of the inquiry committee said that the report has also identified a range of other causes that resulted in the tragic incident, including the failure to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the warnings by the Met Office.

The committee discovered that the relevant departments, including district administration and disaster management authorities, did not coordinate to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the severe weather warnings issued by the Met office.The probe also uncovered that the measures were not taken to regulate the influx of tourists and traffic inflow into the resort town of Murree.

The committee also found that the authorities did not stop the entry of vehicles into Murree after the town reached its parking capacity. The contingency plan was not prepared to deal with a crisis situation, and preventive measures such as putting the vehicle-lifters on alert and deploying the traffic police were not taken.

“By 6 pm on January 7, more than 30,000 vehicles had entered Murree and the roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall but the administration did not close the routes,” the report pointed out. Further, the findings of the report highlight that the delayed call to the army for rescue operations, coupled with delayed coordination on emergency, further deteriorated the incident, leading to preventable causalities.
The parking capacity of the vehicles was exceeded by more than 120%, the report disclosed.

Each year, during the snowfall season, eight to nine snowfall camps are set up for the placement of heavy machinery and additional personnel are deployed in different areas before the entry of tourist vehicles. However, no such measure had been taken this year.
 
State responsible for Murree tragedy: IHC

ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Thursday held the state responsible for the tragedy in Murree last week in which at least 22 people lost their lives.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by a Murree resident, Hammad Abbasi, seeking an investigation into the tragedy and action against those responsible,

The petitioner prayed that the tourists were not informed of the hazard at the toll plaza before entering the hill station and were neither stopped from proceeding further by the authorities.

Turning his attention towards members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) who were present at the hearing, the IHC chief justice asked who was responsible for the deaths as the parliament had earlier enacted the Disaster Management Law.

“It was supposed to be implemented since 2010. Has there ever been a meeting [on the subject] of National Disaster Management till date?” the judge asked.

An NDMA member replied that one meeting was held on February 21, 2013, and the second meeting was held on March 28, 2018.

"Had the meetings been held regularly and adequate preparations been made, precious lives would not have been lost. It is unfortunate; you have failed. It was your responsibility to convene the meeting. Given the management plan, you had to implement this law. If this law had been implemented, not a single citizen would have died,” the justice said while expressing his displeasure at the NDMA.

The IHC chief justice added that in this case, there was no need for an inquiry, as only the NDMA had to implement the law and further said that if district-wise plans existed, the tragedy would not have occurred.

He also wondered what the fault of the locals in Murree was, as everyone was trying to pin the blame on them.

Justice Minallah further asked the NDMA members to convene a meeting of the commission today and take action against those who were responsible.

“The NDMA has not fulfilled its responsibility. It could not inform if a district-wise plan existed or not for the past 11 years."

He added that hotels would not have overcharged and neither would the locals of the hill station been blamed if plans were in place to deal with untoward incidents.

The court also instructed the prime minister to call a meeting of the commission and determine those responsible for the tragedy.

The NDMA member said that the law clearly stated that there was a set of responsibilities at the central, provincial and district levels.

On this, the chief justice remarked that the state was responsible for the deaths that occurred.

“If the National Commission meeting was not held after 2018, then you are responsible for this. Write to the PM today to convene a meeting on the commission," further stated the IHC.

The premier was also instructed to submit a report to the court after the meeting of the NDMA Commission. The case was then adjourned till January 21.

Administrative flaws

The initial findings of the five-member committee to investigate the causes and lapses that led to the tragedy in Murree have pointed to the failure of relevant government departments to take preemptive measures in light of the warnings issued by the Met Office.

The metrological department in its advisory, issued on January 6, had deemed the weather unsafe with clear forewarnings about an imminent snowstorm, directing the concerned departments to block the roads leading to the tourist spot – the site of the tragic incident that claimed 22 lives on January 9.
“All authorities concerned are particularly advised to remain ‘alert’ during the forecast period,” the Met Office had stated.

The advisory had called for precautionary measures and asked the authorities to brace up for heavy snowfall. In addition, sources privy to the preliminary findings of the inquiry committee said that the report has also identified a range of other causes that resulted in the tragic incident, including the failure to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the warnings by the Met Office.

The committee discovered that the relevant departments, including district administration and disaster management authorities, did not coordinate to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the severe weather warnings issued by the Met office.The probe also uncovered that the measures were not taken to regulate the influx of tourists and traffic inflow into the resort town of Murree.

The committee also found that the authorities did not stop the entry of vehicles into Murree after the town reached its parking capacity. The contingency plan was not prepared to deal with a crisis situation, and preventive measures such as putting the vehicle-lifters on alert and deploying the traffic police were not taken.

Each year, during the snowfall season, eight to nine snowfall camps are set up for the placement of heavy machinery and additional personnel are deployed in different areas before the entry of tourist vehicles. However, no such measure had been taken this year.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338518/state-responsible-for-murree-tragedy-ihc
 
MSaad1237 said:
These are the worst sort of scumbags one could imagine.

Is it the time to ban any sort of tourism in Murree??
Click to expand...

No, it's time to put measures in place to police those areas properly. Murree tourism must bring in a lot of money, the local govt should set aside funds to protect their investment by policing the area properly and giving confidence to the public they can travel safely.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
No, it's time to put measures in place to police those areas properly. Murree tourism must bring in a lot of money, the local govt should set aside funds to protect their investment by policing the area properly and giving confidence to the public they can travel safely.
Click to expand...

Exactly, some form of tourist police needs to be in place
Tourism must continue but this sort of behaviour needs to be stopped
 
Twenty out of twenty-nine snow-removing machinery and snowmobiles failed to respond promptly to the Murree incident that claimed 22 lives, the preliminary findings of the probe revealed on Friday.

The four-member committee formed to probe the causes of the Murree tragedy has recorded the statements of administrative and operational officers and staff, sources privy to the findings said.

The team also recorded the statements of the front-line personnel of Rescue 1122, who were supposed to be deployed at the site to deal with a crisis situation.

The probe, which is into its fifth day of inquiry, revealed that drivers and other staff were also found to be absent from their duty despite several warnings issued by the Met Office about a severe snowstorm through print and electronic media.

Besides, officials of the forest department officials failed to submit a satisfactory explanation to the committee for their lack of coordination.

The panel has now requested details of the staff and a list of their responsibilities.

Regarding the influx of the deluge of tourists - considered to be one of the major causes of the event - the report discovered that at the time of the blizzard, the district administration turned around about 50,000 vehicles heading towards the popular tourist spot to stave off further casualties.

The influx could have potentially intensified the degree of causalities, the findings noted.

Sources said that an investigation report would be submitted to the Punjab Chief Minister on Monday next week and action would be taken against those responsible for finding the report.

The committee had earlier discovered that the relevant departments, including district administration and disaster management authorities, did not coordinate to formulate a joint plan of action to prevent a crisis following the severe weather warnings issued by the Met Office.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338818/murree-tragedy-rescue-officials-caught-napping
 
A week after the Murree blizzard tragedy that claimed 23 lives, the district administration on Saturday lifted a ban on tourists’ entry into the hill station.

According to a notification issued by the District Disaster Management Authority, up to 8,000 vehicles will be allowed to enter into the Murree from all entry points for a limited time and under normal weather conditions.

It said no entry will be allowed between 5pm and 5am except for emergency services and vehicles carrying food items and fuel.

However, the restrictions will not be applicable to the residents of Murree, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and officials including Pakistan Army vehicles.

The chief traffic police officer of Rawalpindi will also devise a system to ensure that the traffic does not exceed the prescribed limit and provide timely information about the number of vehicles to the authorities concerned.

“XEN Mechanical Machinery and Chief Traffic Police Office shall have effective coordination with Pakistan Meteorological Department to set up, maintain, review and upgrade mechanism for early warning to regulate traffic,” read the communiqué.

It further said that the police personnel will be deployed for accurate count of incoming/outgoing vehicles and maintain a database of the net traffic count.

Last week, the nation was left stunned when the news of 23 deaths owing to a deadly blizzard in Murree hit the mainstream and social media.

The deaths of the tourists, including women and children who had flocked to the scenic spot to witness the snowfall, were nothing short of the tragedy.

The visitors 'froze to death' in their vehicles, amidst tonnes of snow in the surroundings as a snowstorm gripped the valley.
 
MURREE: Following the administration’s decision to extend the ban on tourists entering Murree until January 17, local traders protested and observed a shutter-down strike on Saturday.

The president of the traders association confirmed that all market places remained closed due to a strike in Murree and surrounding areas.

The association, along with the local hotels association, staged a demonstration on the Murree-Islamabad expressway, urging the authorities to revoke their decision regarding a ban on the entry of tourists.

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued directives for tourists under the National Disaster Management Act 2010, under which no more than 8,000 vehicles will be allowed to enter Murree in a day after the ban is lifted on January 17.

However, the curbs will not be applicable on residents of Murree and Azad Kashmir or vehicles with government number plates.

According to the notification issued in this regard, the Rawalpindi chief traffic officer (CTO) has been directed to ensure the instructions are followed to the letter.

Moreover, vehicles, excluding LPG, petrol and food trucks, will not be allowed to enter Murree from 5pm to 5am.

The notification said that an effective system to regulate traffic will be set up in collaboration with the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) to regulate traffic and records of all vehicles entering Murree will be maintained.

Murree admin prepares strategy amid snowfall alert
Rawalpindi district authorities have developed a plan to deal with any unanticipated incidents that may occur during the upcoming rain and snowfall spell expected in Murree after nearly two dozen lives were lost in the hill station last week.

According to a press release issued on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali, while presiding over a meeting to review the preparations, stated that a contingency plan has been finalised in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Despite the fact that natural disasters are out of our control, we can reduce the rate of damage by implementing disaster management measures, he said.

According to the plan, during the snowfall spell, two control rooms will be established, which will be staffed 24 hours a day to listen to citizen complaints and ensure that they are provided with the necessary assistance as well as comprehensive guidance.

The control room will be established at the Deputy Commissioner's Office in Rawalpindi, as well as the Assistant Commissioner's Office in Murree.

Focal persons from all concerned departments will carry out their duties at the nerve centre.

Snow removal and traffic management have been made top priorities in the new strategy.

On January 7, a deadly snowstorm wreaked havoc and killed more than 20 people in Murree, who were left stranded overnight in their vehicles.

GEO
 
Last edited:
Around 268 traffic and district policemen will be deployed on the roads of Murree after the recent tragedy at the hill station when at least 23 people died while being stranded in their vehicles during a blizzard.

According to a traffic plan issued by the Rawalpindi city traffic police on Sunday, 8,000 tourist vehicles will be able to enter Murree and Galiyat daily from 5am to 5pm.

Special check posts have been set up at Murree Toll Plaza and other points of entry. Only licensed drivers will be allowed to take vehicles to the hill station.

City traffic police wardens will be deployed with snow removal and assistance vehicles.

On the orders of the district administration, the parking capacity of vehicles is about 3,500 vehicles in Murree.

Read ‘They came back in coffins’: Entire family perishes in Murree tragedy

A ban has been placed on the entry of tourists in Murree from 5pm to 5am. For freight vehicles, time has been allotted from night to morning.

“Special check posts have been set up at toll plazas and entrances of Murree where besides checking, awareness pamphlets are also being distributed,” said Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Taimur Khan.

“Only licensed drivers are eligible to drive to Murree,” he added.

The official elaborated that tourists could also turn to the radio station 88.6 and official social media pages of the traffic police for information on weather conditions and rush hour.

The CTO said extra vehicles were parked on a single side for the convenience of tourists but in case of snowfall, tourists should avoid parking and taking selfies on both sides of the road.

The official also advised tourists to keep warm clothes and food items for themselves and not completely close the windows of their vehicles when using the heater.

Khan also appealed to tourists to cooperate with the traffic police and other agencies by following the travel instructions to make their journey safer and more comfortable.

“Give quick access to the snow removing vehicles so that the road could be cleared,” he added.

The official also held a meeting of officers and traffic police personnel stationed in Murree and gave strict instructions that in case of any snowfall and blizzard, all staff members should have emergency numbers of all departments.

The duty officer should keep the numbers of all the departments in his office and in case of any emergency, he should contact the department concerned in time and clear the road for tourists. The traffic police lifters have been instructed to remain on patrol and do not allow parking in any case.

The control room set up for the convenience of tourists should be provided a mobile phone number along with the landline number so that timely assistance could be provided in case of communication breakdown during heavy snowfall.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2339078/268-cops-to-guard-murree-roads
 
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