71 people dead in heavy snowfall, rain hit areas: NDMA

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday issued details of death and damages that happened due to heavy rains and snowfall across the country.

According to  NDMA, the death toll from snow-related deaths climbed to 71 as severe weather continued across the country bringing life to a halt.

According to a statement issued by the NDMA, 55 people have been killed in Azad Kashmir due to weather-related incidents.

The NDMA statement further stated 19 people have died in an avalanche while ten others were still missing. An NDMA spokesperson said four injured have been recovered from the rubble.

Several passengers, including women and children, were stuck on the roads in harsh weather on Monday night as an enormous snowstorm wreaked havoc in different parts of Balochistan.

The officials said that more than 500 passengers were stranded in Kan Mehtarzai area of Killa Saifullah district, where temperatures dipped to as low as -14°C while heavy snowfall and strong winds almost buried cars on the main National Highway.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has imposed emergency in seven districts of Balochistan following continuous heavy rain and snowfall.

The authority has declared an emergency in Ziarat, Harnai, Pishin, Mastung, Qila Abdullah and Kech districts of Balochistan.

It stated earlier, land-sliding and snowfall in Azad Kashmir have killed 14 people and injured more than 20. AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan has directed the authorities concerned to start immediate rescue operations in the rain-affected areas of the state.

Read more: Snowfall hampers relief work in quake-hit Gilgit

The AJK PM has directed Minister of State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Ahmed Raza Qadri to accelerate rescue and relief activities in the rain and snow hit areas of Azad Kashmir.

He directed the SDMA to collaborate with the relevant departments and rush to the far-flung remote areas of the state to provide relief to the affected people at the earliest.