Heavy snowfall continues to cripple life in northern areas
Vehicles were stranded at various points on the roads in KP on the second consecutive day
February 13, 2018
Vehicles were stranded at various points on the roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the second consecutive day, with passengers facing difficulties owing to shortage of food and other necessities.
One of the tourists, Rabiya Ahmed Shaikh, who was staying at a hotel near Nathiagali due to the roadblock there, said there was no food or water at the facility.
“The hotel [management] is saying shops around their facility are closed which is why they cannot get us food,” she told Geo News. “They have lavatories but there is no water here.”
People have lost contact with their relatives as there is no electricity in the area for them to charge their mobile phones and other devices.
Although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority has claimed of opening the Abbottabad-Nathiagali Road, people are still facing difficulty in commute.
A day earlier, at least 800 vehicles were reported stranded in the area.
Stranded tourists, including women and children, had appealed to the authorities to provide urgent rescue service to which the Punjab CM had promptly responded by ordering the commissioner, regional police officer, chief traffic police officer to reach the affected areas and commencing rescue operations.
Shehbaz directed the authorities to obtain all the required equipment to rescue the stranded citizens. He also instructed officials to request for the army's assistance if required.
According to the meteorological department, more rain and thunderstorm (with snowfall on the hills) are expected at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Zhob divisions, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan during the next 24 hours.
