Major arteries cleared to make way for traffic after Murree snowstorm tragedy

MURREE: The authorities have finally removed snow from all the major roads and thoroughfares in Murree, clearing the way for traffic, Punjab traffic police said Sunday, a day after the tragic deaths of over 20 tourists in the snowstorm-hit hill station.

The Punjab police spokesperson said that all the main arteries of the city have been cleared for traffic, including the Lawrence College Road and a section of the road between Jhika Gali and Lower Topa Express Highway.

However, the roads leading to Murree from Islamabad and Rawalpindi will remain closed today, he added.

The spokesperson further stated that police personelle have been deployed on the roads to keep the tourists from visiting the hill station in the current weather conditions.

Over 500 families have been shifted to safe sites from the snowfall-affected Murree overnight and over 600 vehicles have been evacuated from the hill station during the post tragedy rescue operation, the police said.

600 to 700 vehicles were evacuated from Murree: Gill

Meanwhile, sharing a video of Murree roads on his Twitter handle, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill confirmed that all key arteries of the hill station have been cleared to traffic.

Paying tribute to the personnel of the Pakistan Army, officials of the district administration, Rawalpindi police and the local volunteers for clearing the roads overnight, Gill said that 600 to 700 vehicles had been evacuated from the hill station till last night (Saturday).

All stranded tourists rescued last night: DSP traffic

In a statement, Murree’s DSP traffic said that all stranded tourists were rescued last night. He, too, confirmed that all roads in Murree have been cleared for traffic.

The police officer said that the vehicles stuck in snow have been shifted to safe sites, adding that they have been facing difficulty in removing snow from the roads due to the vehicles. The road between Klidna and Barian will be reopened for traffic today, he added.

Army personnel rescue more than 300 people from Murree

A day earlier, following the federal government's decision to deploy personnel of the Pakistan Army and other civil-armed forces for rescue operations in snow-hit Murree, the army rescued more than 300 people, including children, the Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) had said.

The rescued people were provided medical care by a team of army doctors and paramedics, the military's media wing had said.

According to a statement, cooked meals had been served to more than 1,000 stranded people in Jhika Gali, Kashmiri Bazar, Lower Topa and Kuldana.

ISPR had said that the stranded people had been accommodated and provided shelter with meals and tea at Military College Murree, Supply Depot, APS and Army Logistics School Kuldana.