At least 22 dead after snowstorm in Pakistan traps thousands in their cars
Snowstorms in Pakistan stranded thousands of tourists in their cars overnight as they attempted to reach Muree, a mountain vacation destination northeast of Islamabad.
As of Saturday, 22 people have been confirmed dead from hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning, including at least 10 children, The Washington Post reported. Of the 22 dead, eight were from a single family — Islamabad police officer Naveed Iqbal, his wife, and their six children.
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"Shocked and upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared," Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted Saturday.
But some of the tourists who were trapped when 5 feet of snow fell in just a few hours reject Khan's insinuation that they acted negligently.
"We didn't get any type of alert from society, from the government, from Google, from the news, from the weather," Duaa Kashif Ali, who was traveling to Murree from Islamabad, told reporters.
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