MURREE DECLARED CALAMITY HIT FOLLOWING DEATH OF 19 TOURISTS

[xyx007]

The incidents related to Sindhi brothers after the Murree tragedy are very much remembered. We have seen from our childhood that whenever there was a train accident or for some reason the railway track was closed and the trains got stuck in some area of Sindh. Sisters and brothers from local villages and goths rushed before the railways and local administration to help the stranded passengers. Someone brought a pot of rice, someone brought a packet of juice and biscuits, someone brought home cooked food according to his ability. In the evening, the locals opened the doors of their houses and tents to travelers. But alas, thousands of people were stuck in hundreds of vehicles all night in a long area between Murree and Nathia Gali. And don't let the owners of nearby hotels and locals hear about it as they move forward in this most severe weather and at least reach out to people with minor children and women. Because it was not possible for the local administration to make immediate arrangements for such a large number of people in such a short period of time amidst the darkness of night and heavy snowfall. On this occasion, it is unfortunate that indifference has been created in the society. In this age of commercialism and apathy we should all think that money is not everything. The real thing is humanity which is disappearing from within us.As Muslims, will we look back on the events of Sialkot or Muree and see how we are doing in this money race, which is an effect of materialism. Islam prevents us from falling into this trap.

 

[ghazi52]

Murree tragedy:
PM orders inquiry, says rush of people caught district administration unprepared


BR Web Desk
08 Jan 2022

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday that the district administration was caught unprepared with the rush of people in Murree, ordering an inquiry and putting in place strong regulations to ensure the prevention of such tragedies.

His tweet came after at least 21 people, including children, died in Murree, freezing in cars stranded in snow after tourists flocked to the hill station. While authorities attempted a rescue operation, cars remained stranded for hours as heavy snowfall made any evacuation efforts difficult.

"Unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared," the premier said in a Twitter post on Saturday.

"Have ordered inquiry and putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies," he added.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree and Galiyat from January 6 to 9.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif questioned who was responsible for the deaths.

"Where do you pin the responsibility of these deaths? Where was the government all the while? What arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? Incompetence is fast turning into criminality. Prior arrangements & round the clock supervision were the normal SOPs in the past," he tweeted.

 

[SQ8]

PML(N) and PPP might object but the logical solution is what all educated countries do for tourist season. Create a limit of people admitted to the area and sell passes. So never to exceed 30000 people in the area in a days traffic and charge a higher toll as well because Pakistani comes 10 per compact car.
Otherwise put down massive barriers when full.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

Punjab Tourism

@PunjabTourismPK
·
Jan 6

All tourists are advised to have proper information before travelling to Murree. Local administration has established hotlines to guide tourists. Please cooperate with local administration for yours & others' safety.

 

[Humble Analyst]

RAWALPINDI: Murree was declared as the calamity-hit area on Saturday after 19 tourists died of cold with thousands of cars stuck in the hill station.

An emergency has been declared in Murree with the Pakistan Army and Rangers troops called in to help clear the traffic jam and get tourists out of the hill station.

The government has banned entry of tourists in Murree and Galiyat region to control the situation.

The Rawalpindi deputy commissioner tweeted that around 23,000 vehicles have been evacuated safely from Murree and around 1,000 are still stranded. The district administration is working round the clock to evacuate the remaining vehicles safely, he added.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1479673273973624835

Earlier today, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said 16 to 19 people have died of cold in cars stuck in Murree. He said five platoons of the Pakistan Army have been called in to help rescue the stranded tourists.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said hundreds of thousands of cars are heading towards Murree and other upper areas to enjoy snowfall.

It has become impossible for the local administration to provide facilities to such a large number of people, the minister said, urging people to postpone their trips to these areas for a few days.

https://arynews.tv/murree-declared-calamity-hit-following-death-of-19-tourists

Most died due asphyxiation not cold

How hard is it to develop a system to that only lets people in if they have a valid booking or a residence during peak seasons?

It is not hard if people book the hotel in advance, plan the trip, check the weather forecast and government provides travel advisories.
Most needed is people should use common sense which is not very common nowadays.

 

[ghazi52]

Clearing the area...

 

[Verve]

Those who do not prepare for the risks in their journeys with an added element of utter ignorance end up paying heavily at some point.

Pictures of the dead do not indicate death from cold. These CO deaths could have been avoided had the adults got out of the cars regularly to clear the ice off and around the car with their hands covered in cloth or with anything suitable etc they had in the car.

But when it's written it happens. Is the nation going to learn a lesson from these deaths? I doubt it!

 

[Tomcats]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1480135437247295490

 

[Tomcats]

All main roads in Murree cleared for all types of movement

All main roads in Murree cleared for all types of movement

www.radio.gov.pk

All main roads in Murree have been cleared for all types of movement.

According to the ISPR, after clearance of main roads, Army engineers are now focusing on link roads.

Relief camps, medical facilities are fully operating and Army transport is plying for moving of stranded tourists to Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Meanwhile, operations for the evacuation of snow storm stranded tourists in Murree and Galyat are in full swing by Pakistan Air Force.

Spokesperson of the PAF said that during the rescue operations, PAF personnel have shifted more than 100 persons, including women and children at PAF Bases Kalabagh and Lower Topa. Shelter, food and medical facilities are being provided round the clock to the affected families by the rescue teams of PAF.

 

[ghazi52]

Snow in June
Murree in 13 June 1937

 

[xyx007]

Local Muree people enjoyed this season with full money in their pockets despite the deaths of people and even the civil beauracarte rest houses are closed to these unfortunate people. India may not be our enemy but we are our enemy.

Look at the standard of greed and indifference of this nation. Tourists trapped in Murree snow are telling a different story as they get out of there. The rent has been increased to Rs.50000 per night It was also revealed that Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 was taken from the owners of small vehicles and Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 was taken from the owners of big vehicles to get them out of the snow. This is not the first time such incidents have taken place in the past but It is a pity that no one including the administration could take steps to prevent these incidents

 

[ghazi52]

Major arteries cleared to make way for traffic after Murree snowstorm tragedy

Over 500 families shifted to safe sites from snowfall-affected Murree overnight during post tragedy rescue operation

By Web Desk
January 09, 2022

A road between snow-covered trees and hills in Murree.


MURREE: The authorities have finally removed snow from all the major roads and thoroughfares in Murree, clearing the way for traffic, Punjab traffic police said Sunday, a day after the tragic deaths of over 20 tourists in the snowstorm-hit hill station.

The Punjab police spokesperson said that all the main arteries of the city have been cleared for traffic, including the Lawrence College Road and a section of the road between Jhika Gali and Lower Topa Express Highway.

However, the roads leading to Murree from Islamabad and Rawalpindi will remain closed today, he added.
The spokesperson further stated that police personelle have been deployed on the roads to keep the tourists from visiting the hill station in the current weather conditions.

Over 500 families have been shifted to safe sites from the snowfall-affected Murree overnight and over 600 vehicles have been evacuated from the hill station during the post tragedy rescue operation, the police said.

600 to 700 vehicles were evacuated from Murree: Gill

Meanwhile, sharing a video of Murree roads on his Twitter handle, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill confirmed that all key arteries of the hill station have been cleared to traffic.

Paying tribute to the personnel of the Pakistan Army, officials of the district administration, Rawalpindi police and the local volunteers for clearing the roads overnight, Gill said that 600 to 700 vehicles had been evacuated from the hill station till last night (Saturday).


All stranded tourists rescued last night: DSP traffic

In a statement, Murree’s DSP traffic said that all stranded tourists were rescued last night. He, too, confirmed that all roads in Murree have been cleared for traffic.

The police officer said that the vehicles stuck in snow have been shifted to safe sites, adding that they have been facing difficulty in removing snow from the roads due to the vehicles. The road between Klidna and Barian will be reopened for traffic today, he added.

 

[Trango Towers]

you get off from expressway and go to paf base road boom same shit different road the traffic ruins all the fun man.Every year i go to murree its the same shit man.

Why do u go...its the worst place to go.
1. Horrible locals
2. Piss poor food
3. No parking
4. The worst hotels
5. Pollution
6. No public toilets
7. Lots of tourists

I hate this place and avoid it at all cost

 

[ghazi52]

Police said as many as 500 families had been stranded as would-be tourists rushed to view the winter snowfall in the hilltop town of Murree.
At least 22 people have died, including a family of eight and another family of five, officials said.
The blizzard on Friday felled trees and blocked roads in and out of Murree.
All of those who survived after becoming trapped in their vehicles are now said to be safe, with some placed in shelters set up in the resort town, which sits at 2,300 metres (7,500 feet) above sea level.
Gas and water supplies are running low in the area, but local residents and restaurants are helping with accommodation, food and blankets.

Tariq Ullah, an official in the nearby town of Nathiagali, told AFP news agency that the blizzard had delivered four to five feet of snow within just a few hours.
"It was not snow, and not even heavy snow, it was unprecedented," he said. "There were strong winds, uprooted trees, avalanches. People around were terrified."

Pakistan snow: Hundreds rescued from vehicles in deadly blizzard

Samina was one of thousands trapped in freezing conditions trying to reach the town of Murree.

www.bbc.com