Pakistan: Snowstorm hits house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 people of same family killed

News Topical, Digital Desk : Snowfall and a massive avalanche have wreaked havoc in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Nine members of a family, including children and women, were killed when a massive avalanche fell on their house in Chitral district on Friday.

On Friday, avalanches triggered by snowfall disrupted normal life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), blocking roads, stranding commuters and disrupting power and relief operations amid freezing temperatures, reports Dawn news.

An avalanche hit a house in the Damil area of ​​Serigal village in the southernmost part of Chitral district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday afternoon. Hashim Azim, deputy commissioner of Naloor Chitral, said bodies were recovered from the debris, while a nine-year-old boy survived and was taken to hospital.

More than 20 inches of snow

Officials said the avalanche was triggered after more than 20 inches of snow fell in the area. A large mass of snow came down from a nearby pasture and fell on an isolated house in the sparsely populated mountain village. The deceased were identified as Bacha Khan, his wife, three sons, two daughters, and two daughters-in-law. The incident occurred while they were eating dinner in the middle room of the house.

It should be noted that the Chitral Valley, from Arandu to Broghil, experienced continuous snowfall for more than 36 hours, severely disrupting daily life. Several roads were blocked, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for nearly 18 hours before the snow cleared and traffic was restored on Friday evening.

Roads closed due to snowfall

Heavy snowfall has blocked several roads in Upper and Lower Chitral. Power supply was also disrupted after snowfall at Lowari Top cut the national transmission line connecting Chitral. Large parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced heavy rain and snowfall during the ongoing season, blocking roads, disrupting power supply, and creating extreme cold.

Heavy snowfall in Peshawar too

Heavy snowfall also occurred in the mountains surrounding the Peshawar Valley, triggering a cold wave accompanied by chilling winds. In Khyber District, a large number of homeless families returning from Tirah were stranded by the blizzard. Operations are currently underway in Tirah Valley, Painda Cheena, Dawtoi, and Bagh Maidan.

Cold increased due to snowfall

On Friday, the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad received heavy rain and hail, while the Murree hill resort near Rawalpindi received 15 inches of snow. The heavy snowfall in Murree intensified the cold, with temperatures dropping to four degrees Celsius. The weather department said temperatures are expected to drop further in the coming days. The Murree Expressway was closed due to the snowfall.

The snowfall has caused a sharp drop in temperatures. On Thursday, Quetta recorded minus 13 degrees Celsius, Kalat minus 12 degrees Celsius, and Ziarat minus 11 degrees Celsius. (With inputs from news agency PTI)

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