LAHORE - The Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) dispatched 500 blankets and 500 packets of dry ration for the tourists who were facing hardships due to heavy snowfall in Murree and adjacent areas.

The PDMA spokesperson said here on Saturday that fruits, juices, milk, drinking water and bread were included in the dry ration that was dispatched to the stranded tourists. “In view of the current situation, emergency had already been declared in Murree tehsil, Rawalpindi district by the PDMA,” he added.

Moreover, a rescue center has been set up in Murree for providing relief to tourists on the directions of Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq.

According to a JI spokesman, meals, heaters and accommodation has been arranged in ‘Dukhtran-e-Islam Academy’ Murree building.

“Volunteers of Jamaat-e-Islami, Al-Khidmat Foundation, are taking full part in relief activities,” the spokesman added.

Condolences, grief over loss of lives in Murree

Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (HR&MA) Ejaz Alam Augustine has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in Murree due to heavy snowfall.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, he said that road closures due to heavy snowfall hampered relief operations in the area; however, Pak Army soldiers and relief teams had been mobilised to rescue the tourists.

The minister appealed to tourists, especially families, to refrain from travelling to Murree and Galiyat. “The evacuation of stranded visitors is our foremost priority,” he said and added that resources were being utilised to clear snow-covered roads of the area.

Moreover, Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) secretary general Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the deaths of tourists stranded in Murree snowfall.

He demanded that the administration expedite the relief activities. “The safe evacuation of tourists in Murree is essential to avoid a major human tragedy,” he said and added that the country’s welfare agencies, volunteers and locals of Murree should play a responsible role in the hour of need. He also urged the MWM volunteers to be ready to take part in the relief activities.