Three of family die as snow falls on tourists

MANSEHRA: Three members of a family, including a man and his teenage son, were buried alive when a massive chunk of snow fell on them near Naran in the Kaghan valley on Friday.

“We had come from Mughalpura, Lahore, on a recreational trip. While taking photos at the Sohni Waterfall, a massive chunk of snow detached from a glacier and rolled down on us, burying three members of my family under the snow,” Mohammad Shafique, a survivor, told reporters at the Naran Police Station.

According to police and eyewitnesses, the family was visiting the popular tourist site when the incident happened. Police and local residents rushed to the site and, after hectic efforts, managed to recover the bodies from beneath the snow.

The deceased were identified as Tahir Mehmood, 42, his son Abu Bakar, 13 and Taib Shafique. Mohammad Shafique and other family members escaped unhurt.

“It happened so suddenly that we had no time to react. The mass of snow detached and came crashing down, burying my son, brother-in-law, and his son within seconds,” Shafique said.

He thanked the police and local authorities for retrieving the bodies and shifting them to the Basic Health Unit in Naran. The SHO Naran, Israr Shah, told reporters that arrangements were being made to transport the bodies to Lahore via ambulances provided by Rescue 1122.

He urged tourists to exercise caution when visiting waterfalls, riversides, and glacier zones.