Pakistani Blizzard Kills 22 People: Authorities Say They Have Issued Warnings And Bans, Indonesian Citizens Survive

Illustration of traffic jam in the pouring snow in Pakistan. (Wikimedia Commons/Chauhan06)

JAKARTA - At least 22 people, including 10 children, died at Pakistan's popular Murree hill station after overnight heavy snowfall caused a traffic jam that trapped tourists in their vehicles, with many catching cold and some possibly dying from suffocation from car fumes.

Rescue 1122, an emergency service in Punjab province said the victims included the assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad police and seven members of his family. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar declared a state of emergency at hospitals, police stations, administrative offices, and Rescue 1122 services.

He has directed authorities to open government offices and vacation homes for stranded tourists.

Citing The Independent Jan. 10, the Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast on Jan. 5, heavy snowfall to hit Murree Jan. 6 to 9, including warnings of heavy snowfall at hill stations that would likely lead to road closures.

Authorities blamed the disaster on a large influx of tourists who may not have taken the weather forecast into account. The government's critics say officials are not prepared to handle such a situation.

In a video message, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said tourists had flocked to Murree in such numbers, "for the first time in 15 to 20 years, creating a major crisis", and about 1,000 cars were stuck at the hill station.

He said the military had been deployed to clear roads and rescue people still trapped in the area.

"Where engines cannot reach, troops have been removed and they are clearing traffic and clearing roads," read a statement from the Pakistani military.

Ahmed added that the government was forced to close the road from Islamabad to Murree until at least 9 pm on Sunday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Separately, Chief traffic officer Taimoor Khan said in a statement that entry of vehicles into the hill station had been prohibited since Friday evening, when a snowstorm hit, with cars being diverted from other entrances.

As for Prime Minister Imran Khan expressing sorrow and regret over the death, spokesman Shahbaz Gill wrote on Twitter.

"Unprecedented snowfall & ppl invasion continued without checking weather conditions left district admin unprepared. Have ordered investigation & implemented strong regulations to ensure prevention of such tragedy," PM Khan tweeted.

Meanwhile, politicians in opposition parties, including PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, criticized the government's handling of the soaring tourist numbers.

"Where has the government been all this time? What arrangements has it made to deal with such inflows? Incompetence quickly turns into criminality. Pre-arrangement & round-the-clock surveillance were normal SOPs in the past," Sharif criticized on Twitter.

Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz tweeted: "The duty of the government is not only to count tourists but also to make advance arrangements and safety measures for them. These deaths are not due to snowfall but due to government negligence."

In cyberspace, some netizens also tweeted that there were Indonesian citizens (WNI) who survived the tragedy in Pakistan.

"4 days ago, I was out of there, because of the traffic jam, I had to get out of the car and walk for a few minutes because it was so jammed... I can't imagine being stuck in the snow there... God bless you," wrote the account @Mu**a**.

While the @hu**** account wrote that there were family members who managed to survive the disaster, after deciding to walk.

"My brother's family was also trapped there yesterday, they walked 8 km with 2 toddlers to escape the storm. Thank God they survived after riding in a local resident's pickup car."