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At least 16 people were trapped inside their vehicles by snow and died near a mountain town in northern Pakistan.
The snow caused huge traffic jams in northern Pakistan on Saturday.
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“At least 16-19 people died inside their vehicles,” Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video message on Saturday. They died after being trapped by snow near Murree, a mountain town in northern Pakistan.
The minister “asked the local population to help tourists and provide them with food and bed linen.” He said the army was trying to clear the roads and save the people still stranded.
Influx to see the snow
According to a Murree police spokesperson, more than 100,000 vehicles had entered the city, located about 70 kilometers from the capital Islamabad, over the past three days, causing huge traffic jams.
Despite warnings from authorities, visitors had flocked to see the unusual snowfall in this small tourist town, which is very popular among residents of the capital. According to the authorities of the province of Punjab, Murree has been declared a “disaster area” and residents are called upon to stay away.
(AFP)