MURREE: To add to the worries of stranded tourists, the Metrological Office on Saturday issued more snow warning for Murree.
Talking to media, Met Office Director Muhammad Irfan predicted more snowfall till Sunday morning for Murree.
According to him, three days ago, the Met Office issued an alert of extraordinary snowfall in Murree till Jan 5, adding that Murree would receive more snow till Sunday morning.
According to the Met Office, 17 inch snow has already been fallen during last 24 hours.
There are also chances of rain today and Sunday in Murree, the weather report predicted.
The report says in the upper KPK, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, the snowfall will continue till Sunday morning.
In Kalam and Malam Jabba, 12 inch snow has been recorded. Whereas in Gops, 5 inch snow has been fallen.
Rawalpindi has received maximum rainfall measuring 85ml, as per the weather report.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed shock and sadness at the tragic deaths of tourists due to the extreme weather in Murree.
“Shocked & upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall & rush of ppl proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared,” the prime minister wrote on his official Twitter handle.
He ordered an inquiry into the Murree tragedy and vowed that strong regulations will be put in place to ensure prevention of such tragedies in future.
Talking to media, Divisional Emergency Officer Abdul Rehman confirmed 21 tourists died of cold at the hill station that has been declared a calamity-hit area with the army troops called in to rescue tourists who are still stranded there.
According to a report presented to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on the Murree tragedy, more than 100,000 vehicles entered Murree over the past three days. 12,000 of them exited the hill station while the rest got stuck.
The report put the death toll at 20 and said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had not alerted the district administration about the unprecedented snowfall that the hilly area was to receive.
