Avalanche Leaves Nine Dead in Pakistan

(MENAFN) A devastating avalanche claimed nine lives after engulfing a residence in Pakistan's northwest on Friday, while relentless blizzards left hundreds trapped across multiple regions, according to government authorities and media outlets.

The deadly snow slide hit Domail town within Chitral district, located in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claiming five male and four female victims, media reported, citing the district administration.

One child sustained injuries during the disaster.

Across northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, hundreds remained stranded as major roadways became impassable under mounting snowfall.

Emergency response teams supported by military forces initiated a large-scale rescue mission to extract nearly 100 vehicles trapped in the volatile Tirah valley of Khyber tribal district, positioned along the Afghanistan border, according to a district administration statement.

The majority of those stranded are displaced Tirah valley inhabitants relocating to protected areas in anticipation of an upcoming military operation in the turbulent region, where insurgents have maintained a prolonged conflict against government security forces.

More than a dozen vehicles remain trapped as the snowstorm continues to intensify across the area, a district administration official confirmed to me by telephone, noting that women and children from the immobilized vehicles have been evacuated to secure locations.

Military and emergency personnel successfully extracted hundreds of additional people stranded throughout various sections of northwestern Kohistan and southwestern Zhob districts amid the severe weather conditions.

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

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