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The army works to open the roads to the snowy city in Pakistan

The rescue teams in Pakistan worked on Sunday on the roads leading to a mountainous city where thousands of tourists were stranded and where 22 people died inside their auto trapped in the snow.

Visitors flocked to see the unusual snowfall in Moree, 70 kilometers northeast of the capital, Islamabad. But on Friday a storm struck, uprooting trees and cutting the streets leading to the city, which is located on multiple hills and is 2,400 meters above sea level.

“It was unprecedented,” an official from the nearby town of Nathia Gali told AFP, noting that the snow had thickened by a meter and a half. in a few hours. “Never in my life i have seen such a severe snow storm. Strong winds blew trees and caused avalanches. The population was terrified, “he added.

About 100,000 visitors poured in in town on Friday, causing a sweltering traffic jam even before the storm, according to authorities. And authorities said 22 people died in theirs auto Friday night, Saturday, due to cold or carbon dioxide poisoning they inhaled into theirs auto.

Among the victims were a policeman, his wife and their six children. The Dawn newspaper published what was mentioned in the latest telephone conversation between this policeman, Naveed Iqbal, and one of his sons in Islamabad, in to which he said: “Let’s light the stove and sleep”.

Notice during the week

The bodies of Naveed Iqbal and his family were transported on Saturday evening in wooden coffins in Islamabad, where about 300 of his relatives and neighbors greeted them with tears, according to an AFP photographer.

Sunday, file of auto and people on foot attempted to leave the town of Koldana, near Moree, which was also affected by the storm. Many auto parked on the side of the road, in waiting for help to turn the batteries back on. And in places in which the auto after the night piles of garbage formed.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his shock, noting that the snowfall and the influx of tourists “surprised the administration of the region”. However, several media Pakistanis criticized local officials, noting that the Pakistani Meteorological Center warned Thursday of a storm.

On Thursday the center said: “It is desirable that the competent authorities remain in warns “and predicts” heavy snow “that could cause the closure of the roads leading to Morey. The authorities have promised to open an investigation, stressing that” if some form of negligence is detected, action will be taken “.

https: // www.youtube.com / watch? v = 7zrHkG0nc7k

“Our priority is the rescue operation in course and then assistance, “he said on Sunday in a tweet from the spokesman for the government of Punjab Hassan Khawar. The Pakistani army confirmed that it had evacuated all survivors at auto blocked, adding that more than a thousand abandoned vehicles hampered the work of the icebreakers.

Days before the disaster, on the sites of social network in Pakistan many pictures have been published showing tourists playing in the snow in the vicinity of the city of Morey, built by the British in the nineteenth century. Authorities had warned last weekend of crowded visitors to Morey, but that didn’t stop people from flocking. in city.

On Sunday, many Pakistanis complained about the greed of hoteliers, who exacerbated the problem by charging exorbitant prices, prompting some to spend the night in their auto. “Things would have been different if people and hotels had cooperated, but people’s reputations and behavior are bad in this regard,” a senior government official told AFP. in condition of anonymity. According to various testimonies, the residents of the city hosted many tourists and provided blankets and food for those who remained in in the crowd.

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