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Thursday, March 28, 2024  
17 Ramadan 1445  

Life remains at standstill in Murree following deadly snowfall

Life remained on a standstill on Monday for residents and stranded tourists in Murree following the deadly snowfall...
Soldiers and civilians clear trees from a road after a heavy snowfall in Murree on Saturday. Reuters
Soldiers and civilians clear trees from a road after a heavy snowfall in Murree on Saturday. Reuters

Life remained at a standstill on Monday for residents and stranded tourists in Murree following the deadly snowfall over the weekend which left at least 22 people dead.

Although a majority of stranded tourists have reportedly been evacuated, many remain.

According to Geo News, water supply and power remain suspended at the Malka-e-Kohsar, while mobile services have also been impacted. WAPDA officials were unable to restore power due to poor weather conditions there.

Armed forces have been clearing the roads reported ISPR.

Buzdar's inquiry

Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar has constituted a 7-member committee to ascertain what went wrong and who is to blame for tragedy and vowed to take "impartial action" against all those found negligent in their duties.

It will also assess what measures were taken to control the influx of visitors and vehicles.

It will determine what steps were taken following the warnings by the Met office and what measures were taken to dissuade people from traveling there.

The initial report on Sunday, presented to Buzdar, said that 22 people died in their cars due to carbon monoxide poisoning. It said 162,000 vehicles entered the city between January 3 and 7.

The report said that due to power outages in different parts of Murree, tourists preferred to stay in vehicles.

It was difficult for snow removal machinery to reach the spots because of the traffic gridlock on the roads.

"Vehicles and tourists exceeding the specified limit would not be allowed to enter Murree," Buzdar was quoted as saying after hearing this report.

According to the report, 21,000 cars that made their way to Murree were sent back.

News about Murree tragedy also dominates social media with the ruling PTI as well as hoteliers in the area bearing the brunt of users' rage.

People are expressing their anger at the government for not managing the situation and its leaders for blaming the victims and they are calling for a boycott of the town after reports emerged of the exorbitant prices being quoted to stranded tourists.

Singer Rabi Pirzada's post on the profiteers has been widely shared.

However, there has also been pushback to such "racist" calls to boycott a town with people calling out as unfair any attempt to paint any group as opportunists or profiteers.

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