More than twenty houses destroyed;PM expressed deep grief and sorrow
CHITRAL
At least 14 people were killed in an avalanche in Chitral’s Sher Shal area on Sunday.
Chitral Scouts Commandant Col Nizamuddin Shah told the bodies of 14 had been recovered from the debris, including six women, six children and two men.
Nine people injured in the natural disaster have been shifted to Civil Hospital Garam Chashma, according to Radio Pakistan.
The region has been hit by heavy snowfall that is four feet deep in some places.
The avalanche struck around 3am, Sheema Ayub Khan, a spokeswoman for the Disaster Management Authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told.
A Frontier Constabulary soldier died and six others were injured when a Chitral scout post was affected by a second avalanche in Chitral’s Pishotan area near the Pak-Afghan border. The soldiers were rescued early morning, ISPR said.
At least 25 houses have been buried and five houses have been destroyed, Col Shah said.
Chitral District Nazim Maghfirat Shah told media that due to heavy snowfall in the area over the past two days several families had been shifted to safer locations.
The avalanche struck the village of Sher Shal in Garam Chashma Tehsil, completely destroying more than twenty houses.
So far seven dead bodies have been recovered while seven injured have been rescued and moved to civil hospital.
Chitral District Administration told Radio Pakistan that rescue operation is in progress to recover the people trapped under the debris.
Chitral police and district administration clearing roads leading up to hospitals
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident.
He has directed all relevant federal and provincial authorities to reach the site immediately and undertake rescue and relief work.
He has also directed National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to coordinate the rescue efforts and arrange for necessary medical care, food and shelter for the affectees.
Avalanches are common in Pakistan’s scenic north, where the country’s major glaciers are also located. These glaciers are the main source of surface water for Pakistan’s agriculture, industrial and domestic sectors.
