Snowfall: Rescue operation underway in Murree to evacuate 5,000 vehicles

WEB DESK: Authorities have launched a large-scale rescue operation in Murree to safely evacuate approximately 5,000 vehicles stranded due to heavy snowfall, officials said on Thursday. The operation involves heavy machinery, cranes, and loaders actively clearing snow from roads to ensure safe passage for motorists.

District Police Officer (DPO) Raza Tanveer confirmed that no further vehicles would be allowed to enter Murree until the rescue operation is completed. He urged tourists and local residents to exercise caution and avoid traveling to the hill station at this time. “Citizens should immediately halt their journey to Murree,” he said, adding that police and administration personnel are on-site to assist stranded travelers.

The DPO said field teams, led by himself and District Coordination Officer Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, will remain operational until the last vehicle is safely evacuated. He also reassured the public that no distress calls have been received from tourists so far.

Murree has been experiencing continuous snowfall for the past 19 hours, resulting in snow accumulation of up to one foot and severely limited visibility. Authorities have placed the district administration on high alert and advised residents to remain vigilant and exercise extreme caution while traveling.

The operation is ongoing, with teams working around the clock to ensure that all stranded vehicles are removed safely and that roads are cleared for emergency and essential movement.

2022 Murree tragedy: 22 died in snow-stranded cars

In January 2022, Murree was declared a calamity-hit area after at least 22 people, including 10 children, died in cars stranded by heavy snowfall amid a surge of tourists. The snowstorm, combined with intense winds, blocked roads, uprooted trees, and caused severe traffic jams on routes leading to the hill station. Among the victims was an assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad Police and seven members of his family.

Authorities, including the Punjab government and the military, had rushed to aid stranded tourists. Television footage showed long queues of vehicles, prompting the then Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to announce that those stranded had been shifted to government rest houses and hotels with food, medicine, blankets, and essentials provided. Army engineers worked to clear the Murree Expressway, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities banned further entry of vehicles into the Galiyat region. Rescue operations continued through the night as snow clearance and relief efforts remained underway.