Originally drove to enjoy the beautiful snow scene, but was trapped in a blizzard and was in danger.The Pakistani police reported on the 8th that the heavy snow in the Muri mountainous area of the resort has caused thousands of vehicles congested on the road to be trapped. The authorities urgently dispatched military and police forces to rescue and rescue them. 22 tourists have been found dead in the vehicle.According to a report from Pakistan’s “Forum Express” on the 9th, as of later that day, all major roads in Muri had been cleared and cleared, and a total of 600 or 700 trapped cars were evacuated.
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The “Global Times” reporter learned from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan that so far there has been no news that Chinese citizens have been trapped in Muri.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed shock and anxiety on social media about the death of tourists caused by Blizzard. He said that a large number of tourists went to the local area regardless of the weather conditions, and the local authorities were unprepared. Imran Khan has requested that the incident be investigated and measures should be taken to avoid similar tragedies.
Muri is located 60 kilometers from the outskirts of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is a small mountain city with a higher altitude. It was developed as a holiday resort in the mid-19th century and is famous for its summer heat and snow scenery in winter. According to locals, Muri welcomes a large number of tourists every winter and frequent traffic jams. Since the evening of the 4th, snow has continued to fall in the Muli Mountains. The thickness of the snow has exceeded 1.2 meters, setting the record for the largest amount of snowfall in the area. It has attracted a large number of tourists to drive to enjoy the scenery. Many people have posted photos of snow scenes and videos on social media. Pakistani Interior Minister Rashid said that more than 100,000 vehicles have entered the Muri area in the past few days.
On January 7, Muri ushered in a peak of vehicles. According to estimates by the rescue team, about 17,000 cars were congested on a mountain road with a design capacity of only 4,000 cars that day. At 6 pm on the 7th, the local traffic management department blocked several main passages leading to Muri, but there were still tourists driving in from other roads. That night, a large number of vehicles that could not enter Muri also encountered serious traffic jams on the way back.
According to the Pakistani police, trees crushed by heavy snow blocked the road, severe cold caused some vehicles to malfunction, and slippery roads led to frequent traffic accidents. Multiple factors further aggravated the congestion of roads everywhere. Some vehicles were stuck in the snow and could not move. Many tourists had to spend the night in the car that night. According to reports, short-distance tourists from Islamabad basically plan to go back and forth on the same day, so there are not enough supplies on board.
On the 8th, the Pakistani government announced a winter storm disaster in the Muri area and urged tourists to stop going to the local area. The Pakistani military and rescue agencies began to march towards Muri. The military first cleared the snow from nearby roads and rescued the stranded returning tourists. Due to serious road congestion, rescuers entered Muri on foot to rescue people trapped in vehicles on mountain roads. The local government in Muri asked resorts and restaurants to make emergency adjustments to accommodate as many trapped tourists as possible. Local residents also provided rescuers with blankets and other warm materials and food. A large number of tourists trapped in cars were temporarily saved. At the same time, local residents are also facing serious problems. Gas is in desperate situation, and drinking water is in short supply due to damaged pipes or freezing of water inside.
According to the person in charge of the rescue team, as of the evening of the 8th, rescuers found a total of 22 people dead in the car, including 12 adults and 10 children. The cause of death may be loss of temperature and freezing, or heavy snow clogging the exhaust pipe of the vehicle, causing tourists to inhale carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas in the enclosed vehicle space and suffocate. As of the morning of the 9th, the rescue team had not completed the investigation of all congested road sections. A Pakistani police spokesperson said that due to the deep snow on the road, the rescue team had difficulty advancing in some areas. The internal situation of about 3,000 trapped cars was unknown. Was completely buried in the snow. The good news is that the local day-to-day snowfall gradually ceased on the 9th, and the weather has reduced the resistance to rescue work.
A large number of rescued tourists were temporarily placed in Muri. Many of them suffered from frostbite and physical discomfort due to freezing, but the required medicines were difficult to transport to Muri. Some hotels and restaurants that receive tourists are experiencing fuel and food shortages.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the cause of the accident was the unprecedented snowfall and the scale of tourists. At the same time, the government has initiated an investigation into the negligence of the local transportation and tourism administration. The government will impose strict restrictions on entering vehicles based on the capacity of local tourists in the future.
In an interview with Pakistan’s “Dawn”, the head of the Pakistan Meteorological Bureau stated that the Meteorological Bureau had previously issued a heavy snow warning, but this information has not received the attention of tourists and local management departments. Many tourists still refuse to listen to persuasion and insist on playing.
According to Pakistani government officials and media, the recent rain and snow in many parts of Pakistan has caused at least 32 deaths and many others have been injured.
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