Twenty one fun-seekers have frozen to death and more than 1,000 other trapped as deadly snow trapped motorists in their vehicles in Northern Pakistan.
The victims were on their way to view the winter snowfall in the hilltop town of Murree, when they became stranded.
Among those who lost their lives in the accident were a policeman, his wife and their six children, as well as another family-of-five dead, a local emergency services Rescue 1122 said.
300 people stranded by the snow
According to the military, they have rescued more than 300 people who were stranded by the snow.
An army spokesperson added that military engineers and troops had also started to clear roads leading to Murree.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the large number of people travelling to the north of the capital Islamabad caused the crisis.
More than 100,000 cars conveying the fun-seekers arrived in the colonial-era town in recent days, with many of then rushing to social media to share the pictures of the adventure.
Earlier Friday, local media in Pakistan reported that tourists were getting stranded and on Saturday the heavy snow increased, which prompted authorities to declare the region a disaster zone.
However, ten children were among those who perished according to emergency services.
According to Police, at least six froze to death in their cars.
“People are facing a terrible situation,” Usman Abbasi, a tourist stuck in the town where heavy snow was still falling, told AFP news agency by phone.
“It’s not only the tourists, but the local population is also facing severe problems,” he added, saying there were gas and water shortages.
