a PM House statement. The NDMA would start the evacuation operation as severe weather subsides. The prime minister has further directed all relevant federal departments to coordinate with the KP government.
Earlier, the federal government offered its assistance to the provincial government of KP to ensure rescue of the stranded tourists. In this regard, federal secretary interior has contacted chief secretary KP for offering the assistance.
The National Highway Authority (NHA) has already started work on removing snow off the roads.The travellers coming from Babu Sir Top to Naran, Kaghan have been asked to leave their cars there and locate shelter nearby till the situation improves.
Meanwhile, lightning killed eight people, including three children, on Saturday in Loralai, Sibi and Dera Ghazi Khan, while three other children were injured in these incidents, as widespread thundershowers hit Punjab, Balochistan, KP and Gilgit Baltistan on Saturday and Sunday.Upper reaches of GB and KP also received light to heavy snowfall.
According to reports, in Dera Ghazi Khan’s suburb area Pagan, lightning claimed lives of at least two people and injured another. One youth died in Loralai’s area of B and R Colony while two labourers died in Daki as lightning struck upon a coalmine.
On the other hand, lightning fell on a house in Waam Tangi area of Harnai, near Sibi, and killed three children on the spot while critically injuring three others.
In Sialkot, a woman and a two-year-old girl were killed when the roof of their mud house caved in during rain at Malkey Kalan village in Muradpur police limits.
Kausar Batool and her relatives, including two-year-old Guriya, were present in the house when its roof collapsed during rain. As a result, Kausar and Guriya were killed on the spot while 38-year-old Ismail and an eight-year-old girl sustained injuries. They were shifted to a local hospital by Rescue 1122.
Meanwhile, the downpour in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has paralysed flight operations at Benazir Bhutto International Airport resulting in cancellation of as many as 17 flights, both domestic and international.
Thousands of passengers were stuck in Islamabad because of cancellation of flights due to weather related circumstances. Reportedly, the heavy rain reduced the visibility to extremely below the required level. At least 12 more flights were facing delay because of this reason.