- NDMA reported that the snowfall has claimed the lives of at least 100 people across Pakistan
MUZAFFARABAD, January 15: In another tragic event, an avalanche has swept through three more villages in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir on Wednesday, while the rescue teams have recovered 14 dead bodies so far.
Sources informed that dozens of people are reportedly buried under the avalanche. Relief operations are also facing difficulties in the affected area owing to the lack of facilities. Dozens of houses had been wrecked and buried by the snow, with most of those killed and
injured in their homes following the ravaging avalanches hit. The death toll may continue to rise, as there are fears that many people may still be trapped.
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said that the weather conditions have increased the difficulties for residents in the region. Flight rescue operations in the upper regions have also been suspended due to inclement weather. Rescue teams have not yet reached the victims of Dhaki and Chaknath in the Grace Valley.
Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan has conducted an aerial review of the affected areas in the Neelum Valley. Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan in his statement on the snowstorm said that 67 people were killed in the Neelum Valley. The government is taking serious notice of the financial loss along with loss of lives. PDMA and NDMA are being more active.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued an official statement saying that a severe cold snap, snowfall and rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of at least 100 people across Pakistan in the last three days while several others were injured.
As heavy snowfall and rain continued to lash parts of the country, particularly northern areas, 62 people have been killed and scores of others were injured in land sliding and avalanche over fifteen villages in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the NDMA, rains in Balochistan have claimed 20 lives and 35 homes have damaged. 76 people have died in the disastrous event in AJK.
In Neelam valley, the death toll of people who died in an avalanche rose to 21 while several others are still missing. 42 injured people were shifted to nearby hospitals for medical attention. According to the available data, 45 houses are fully destroyed in AJK, and 213 houses across Pakistan.
Teams of the NDMA and other relevant departments have been carrying out relief operation in the affected areas. The affected families are being provided food, blankets, medicine.-Agencies
