Snow-related incidents claim 93 lives in Pakistan

The death toll in the massive avalanches and snow-related incidents in Pakistan and PoK touched 93, according to media reports on Wednesday as authorities rushed to provide humanitarian aid to those hit by the harsh weather conditions in the country.

Neelum valley in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is reported to be the worst hit as snowslide continued to damage hundreds of building in the area, killing 66 people, the sources reported.

At least 84 houses and 17 shops have been fully destroyed, while 94 houses and a mosque were partially damaged. Nineteen vehicles have also been damaged in the natural calamity, Neelum Deputy Commissioner Raja Mahmood Shahid was quoted as saying in the report.

Twenty people have been killed in Balochistan and at least seven in Sialkot and other districts of Punjab over the past few days, it said.

The rain-related incidents also led to closure of major roads and highways in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan.

Officials said that the death toll could further go up as some areas in the valley were still inaccessible due to heavy snowfall, it said, adding that the that there is a forecast of another spell of snowfall from Friday.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that it was bracing for more human and material losses due to inclement weather conditions.

Expressing concern over the situation, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked authorities to immediately provide humanitarian assistance to those affected.

ISPR said that the Pakistan Army Urban Search & Rescue teams are evacuating stranded population. Doctors, paramedics, tents, rations, blankets, and medicines are being provided to the affected families, it said