Avalanche kills nine in northwest Pakistan

(MENAFN) At least nine people were killed on Friday when an avalanche hit a house in northwest Pakistan, as heavy snowfall affected multiple regions and left hundreds stranded, according to officials and local media reports.

The incident occurred in Domail town, Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claiming the lives of five men and four women, a news agency reported, citing the district administration. A child was also injured in the avalanche.

Heavy snow has blocked roads across northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people stranded. Rescue teams, supported by army personnel, launched operations to assist nearly 100 vehicles trapped in the Tirah valley of the Khyber tribal district, near the Afghan border, according to the district administration.

Most of those affected were displaced residents of the Tirah valley relocating to safer areas ahead of a planned military operation in the region, where militants have clashed with security forces for years.

Over a dozen vehicles remain stranded as snowfall continues. Authorities have relocated women and children from the trapped vehicles to safer locations, a district official told a news outlet.

Security forces and rescue teams also helped hundreds stranded in northwestern Kohistan and southwestern Zhob districts due to snow-related road closures.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast additional rain and snowfall across northern and southwestern regions over the next 24 to 48 hours.

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