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.
Military personnel and first responders provided food and blankets, helped clear roads, and evacuated over 300 people. Roads to Murree are still not entirely clear, BBC reported Sunday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
'Crony capitalism is a sharp break from free market ideals'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
August 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include thought replacement tools, the opposite of woke, and more
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Speed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
This Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be above average
Under the radar Prepare for strong storms in the coming months
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage