9 die as avalanche hits Pakistan’s Chitral

At least nine members of a family have been killed after an avalanche buried their house in Chitral, as heavy snowfall has brought daily life to a halt across northern parts of Pakistan.

The avalanche struck the house in Serigal village at Damil on Friday afternoon, Dawn reported.

Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Hashim Azim said the bodies were recovered from the debris, while a 9-year-old boy survived and was rushed to hospital.

Officials said the avalanche followed more than 20 inches of snowfall, with a huge mass of snow sliding down from a nearby pasture onto the isolated house in the sparsely populated mountainous village.

The newspaper said snowfall continued uninterrupted for over 36 hours across the Chitral valley, from Arandu to Broghil, severely disrupting daily life.

Vehicular traffic has been suspended on several roads, including the approach to the Lowari Tunnel, where thousands of passengers remained stranded for around 18 hours before traffic was restored on Friday evening after snow cleared, it added.

Several roads in Upper and Lower Chitral remain closed. Pakistan-based daily said electricity supply was also disrupted after snowfall at Lowari Top severed the national transmission line connecting Chitral.

Large parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have received heavy rain and snowfall during the ongoing weather spell, resulting in road blockages, power outages and freezing conditions, as per Dawn.

Snowfall on the mountains surrounding the Peshawar valley has triggered a cold wave, accompanied by strong, icy winds.

In Khyber district, a large number of displaced families returning from Tirah have been stranded amid a snowstorm. Rescue 1122 said operations were under way in Tirah Valley, Painda Cheena, Dawatoi and Bagh Maidan to assist those affected.