Pak heavy snowfall: Over 16 get killed, but not due to 'cold', claims official; govt deploys army

More than 16 tourists have been killed in their vehicles after heavy snowfall in Murree, Pakistan.    

The federal government of the country has called in the army and other civil-armed forces for rescue operations.  

In a striking claim over the incident, SHO Murree police station Raja Rasheed told Geo.tv that most people, who were killed in Murree, did not die of the cold. They died as they left heaters on in the car and went to sleep. The fumes from the heater killed them, claimed SHO.  

After thousands of vehicles entered the city, all the routes got blocked in Murree, which left the tourists helpless on the roads.  

On Saturday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, in a video message, said that Murree had "seen a huge number of tourists after 15-20 years", and due to that, a crisis took place.  

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The government had to close the road between Islamabad and Murree. "Islamabad and Rawalpindi's commissioners, deputy commissioners, police, are carrying out rescue operations," Rasheed said.  

Pakistan Army’s five platoons have been deployed for rescue efforts, while Rangers and Frontier Corps will also be positioned on an emergency basis.  

"As many as 1,000 vehicles have been stuck since night [...] some have been evacuated; 16-19 deaths took place in cars. The locals provided food and blankets to the stranded people," the interior minister said.  

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The authorities would evacuate 1,000 vehicles by Saturday evening, while the roads would remain closed to Murree till 9 pm on Sunday.  

(With inputs from agencies)