MUZAFFARABAD: Avalanche hit Neelum Valley and death toll reached 61 alone in the birdering vale of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) besides huge destruction of houses, cars and other valuables of the dwelers.
Snowfall and rain-related incidents in Pakistan over the last three days rose to 92, with dozens more injured, officials said on Tuesday.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it is expecting an increase in the death and injury tolls.
The worst-hit was Neelum Valley of AJK, where the death toll from incidents of snow-sliding stood at 61 according to the latest reports. Balochistan was also severely affected as heavy rains across the province claimed 20 lives, while leaving at least 11 others injured.
According the available thefigures of death and destruction caused by avalanche was 61 person were died in the area while 42 were seriously injured, 53 houses were totally destoryed while 78 houses and a Masjid were partially damaged, 19 shops were also destroyed besides, 7 vehicles and 3 motorcycles were damaged
It was a big disaster as the valley had not gone through at such a scale in over a decade.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, taking to Twitter, said he had instructed the NDMA, military and federal ministers to provide assistance to the people of AJK on an emergency footing.
In Neelum Valley, the death toll in several incidents of snow-sliding rose to 61 as the bodies of victims were retrieved from beneath mounds of snow on Tuesday, said Fayyaz Ali Abbasi, a senior official in the AJK government. He added that another 53 persons were rescued alive in injured condition.
Around 80 per cent of the casualties had occurred in the hamlets of Bakwali and Seri in Surgan area of tehsil Sharda, he said.
Sharda is located some 137 kilometres northeast of Muzaffarabad and Surgan area stretches into the high altitude mountains from there. Bakwali and Seri are located around 8 and 10 kilometres, respectively, off the main Neelum valley road.
Witnesses said that the rescue operation was carried out by local residents, police and army personnel. Neelum Deputy Commissioner Raja Mehmood Shahid all but six bodies had been recovered by the rescuers. He added that army helicopters had also taken part in rescue and relief operation.
AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir, who has returned from Neelum Valley, was in Islamabad on Tuesday to coordinate with the federal government authorities, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), to extend all possible assistance to the affected population.
Qadir said that the rescue operation had almost been completed with the help of the army and civil administration but the next and real challenge was the relief operation, which too would be accomplished before Friday when another spell of heavy snowfall is expected.
Qadir’s electoral rival Mian Abdul Waheed, a former minister in the PPP government, stressed that since transportation of relief goods was not possible via the snow-capped link road to the affected hamlets, the government should engage helicopters.
“In order to keep the survivors alive, we have to rush essential supplies to them on a war footing,” he said. “This is not possible without employing helicopters,” he added.
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