Snowfall in mountainous areas in KP continues for 4th day

MANSEHRA: The longest spell of snowfall and rainfall continued in upper parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the fourth consecutive day on Friday.

In the upper parts of the Hazara division, snowfall, which began earlier this week, persisted intermittently throughout the day in the mountainous areas of the division causing temperatures to drop further.

The tourist resorts of Shogran, Kaghan, Siran, and Konsh valleys in Mansehra, as well as Spat valley in Kohistan, received heavy snowfall. According to locals, this has been the longest spell of snowfall recorded in the region during the ongoing winter season.

Due to continuous snowfall and landslides, link roads connecting dozens of villages to the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road and the Karakoram Highway in mountainous parts of the district remained blocked.

“Police teams are deployed at the tourist resorts of Shogran and Kaghan Valley and motorists and tourists are not allowed to proceed into snowbound areas,” District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Khan Gandapur said.

He added that police personnel were only permitting vehicles with four-wheel drive to proceed, after ensuring they met the safety protocols set by the department for travelling in snowy and hilly terrain.

Meanwhile, the district administration of Upper Kohistan, in a press release, confirmed that the Karakoram Highway remained open to traffic.“No landslides or any other untoward incidents have been reported in our district so far, and traffic is flowing smoothly on the KKH,” Duty Commissioner Upper Kohistan Tariq Ali Khan said.

The region also witnessed heavy rainfall, which continued for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, lashing various parts of the Hazara division sporadically.Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas districts experienced heavy downpours throughout the day.