MURREE: At least 20 tourists were died after their vehicles stranded due to snowfall and traffic congestion.
The disaster resulted after a large number of vehicles and tourists were allowed to enter the hill station beyond its capacity by the administration.
On the other, giving statistics, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had proudly claimed yesterday that 100,000 vehicles had entered Murree and the charges of hotels and guests houses had gone up.
مری میں ایک لاکھ کے قریب گاڑیاں داخل ہو چکی ہیں ہوٹلوں اور اقامت گاہوں کے کرائے کئ گنا اوپر چلے گئے ہیں سیاحت میں یہ اضافہ عام آدمی کی خوشحالی اور آمدنی میں اضافے کو ظاہر کرتا ہے اس سال سو بڑی کمپنیوں نے 929 ارب روپے منافع کمایا تمام بڑے میڈیا گروپس 33سے چالیس فیصد منافع میں ہیں
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 5, 2022
The federal minister had compared the large number of tourists in Murree with financial prosperity of people. However, he failed to take special measures to handle situation in the overcrowded hill station before the disaster.
مری جانے والوں کی تعداد میں اضافے کو عام آدمی کی خوشحالی اور آمدنی میں اضافے کی وجہ قرار دینے سے پہلے یہ سوچنا ضروری تھا کہ کیا مقامی انتظامیہ کسی آفت کی صورت میں سیاحوں کی مدد کرنے کے قابل ہے یا نہیں ؟#Murree
— Arif Hameed Bhatti (@arifhameed15) January 8, 2022
The administration has declared the hill station as calamity-hit area today after the deaths of over 16 tourists due to heavy snowfall and traffic congestion.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that 1,000 vehicles had been stranded in Murree since last night. He said that 16 to 19 people had died in thier vehicles in the area.
Sheikh Rasheed said that FC and Rangers had been called in for for relief operations in the hill station. In addition, Pak Army have also been called in.
A control room has been setup to monitor the relief operation. Sources said that electricity supply is suspended in the area since last night.
Meanwhile, those dead in the mishap had been identified as Zahid, M Ishfaq, Maroof, Naveed Iqbal, his wife and six children, Sohail Khan, Asad, M Bilal, Bilal Hussain and Shehzad, his wife and two children.
