ISLAMABAD: At least 15 people were killed on Sunday in avalanches in Chitral’s Sher Shal village of Karimabad valley.
While taking to media, Commandant Chitral Scouts Col Nizamuddin Shah informed that several dead bodies have been taken out from the rubble. Five houses were totally buried under the avalanche, he said.
The dead include six women, six children and two men, Col Nizamuddin Shah added.
Meanwhile, 11 people were rescued and evacuated. Efforts are underway to take the injured to hospital but roads are blocked due to heavy snow, rescue sources said.
Army personnel were headed to the unfortunate site to commence relief activities and provide helicopter for rescue services. For now, residents of the village were attempting rescue work on their own, according to rescue sources.
Similarly, another incident occurred near Pakistan-Afghanistan border in which a soldier was killed. Commandant Chitral Scouts Col Nizamuddin Shah said deceased Sepoy Irshadul Haq, a resident of Torkho, died when an avalanche hit Dameel Yoshatan post near Pak Afghan border area while another soldier was injured. District Nazim Chitral Maghfriat Shah said Chitral Airport was also closed due to heavy snowfall while all roads of the district were also blocked.
MPA Saleem Khan alleged that PDMA badly failed to rescue the people hit by avalanches and to provide them food and life-saving drugs. Since all link roads of Shershal village were totally blocked, so rescue teams were facing hardships to the village.
Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed his grief over the loss of lives in avalanche-related incident in Chitral.
He has directed all relevant federal and provincial authorities to reach the site immediately and undertake rescue and relief work on priority, said a press release of the PM Office media wing.
The Prime Minister also directed National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to coordinate the rescue efforts and arrange necessary medical care, food and shelter required for the affectees.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa also directed military troops to commence rescue operations with full pace in the affected areas. Agencies