RAWALPINDI/Peshawar - Pakistan Army troops along with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Quick Reaction Force and Rescue 1122 teams rescued all stranded people stuck in snow at Toheed Abad near Nathia Gali.
The stranded tourists had called for help through media, said a statement issued here by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.
The rescue operation was undertaken early morning at 3:15 AM on Tuesday under extreme weather conditions and heavy snow. Those stuck in snow have been shifted to safer places in Murree/Kalabagh, the ISPR statement said.
Earlier, Director General of ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor on his official twitter handle had said that a rescue team each of Army and PAF was sent in support of civil administration. The rescue teams also carried medicines and food items.
Meanwhile, at least three persons of a family on Tuesday died due to landsliding in Kehal area of Abbottabad. According to police sources, the three ill-fated persons including two sons and a mother died owing to torrential rain which triggered the landslide.
The incident took place at the Kehla Mohall Usman Abbottabad when heavy boulders fell on a house at 4 am where 16 years old Sardar Khalid, 12 years old Muhammad Mubashar and their mother were sleeping. They died on the spot.
The KP department of health has notified suspension of polio vaccination drive in eight districts of the province owing to heavy snowfall and blockage of roads. The spokesman of provincial health department said in Peshawar Tuesday that the administrations of six districts kicked off the campaign on January 21, however on their request the drive suspended after recent spell of snowfall in upper areas.
He said that drive was suspended in Chitral and Battagram districts. Similarly, the drive was suspended in 14 union councils of Mansehra, seven union councils of Abbottabad, seven union councils of district Lower Dir, two union councils of Upper Dir, three union councils of Swat, Kalam and five union councils of district Torghar.
The spokesman said that due to blockage of roads the polio teams could not reach the areas to administer polio drops therefore the drive was suspended, adding that it would resume as soon as the access to these areas become possible.
Meanwhile, life came to a halt across Azad Kashmir state and Gilgit Baltistan due to heavy rain in plain areas and snowfall in upper areas, disconnecting the road link between AJK and Islamabad and far-flung areas from the cities and towns.
The plains and low-lying areas received heavy rain for the last 72 hours and continued without any interval resulting in landslides in different areas confining people to their homes.
The traffic between Muzaffarabad and Islamabad stuck in Murree due to snowfall at Murree hills while the roads leading to Neelum Valley, Leepa Valley, Bagh and Dheerkot had been blocked at different places due to heavy snowfall and landslides cutting off these areas from AJK capital.
According to communication department, main highway from Muzaffarabad to Neelum Valley has been blocked for all sort of traffic from Nauseeri point, entrance to Valley, due to landslide near the Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power project dam while road link of upper areas of the valley from its headquarter Athmaqam has also been disconnected due to snow fall.
Road from Muzaffarabad via Sudhan Gali has also been blocked from Sudhan Gali by heavy snow however Muzaffarabad to Bagh road via Kohala is opened for traffic, the official said adding the link between Bagh and Haveeli district has been cut off from Lasdana.
The meteorological department has predicted more rains in low-lying areas and snowfall in upper areas and hills on Tuesday and Wednesday. The temperature has been dropped to minus celsius in all the areas creating difficulties for common people.
Snowfall and rain continued for third consecutive day and most parts of the GB especially hilly areas are covered with white snow plummeting the mercury to below freezing level.
Approach roads to various localities in the upper parts were covered with thick layer of snow, disconnecting these localities to other adjoining areas and restricting people to come out.
A number of commuters and their vehicles are stranded on Karrakorum highway as the road at Kohistan Putin and Barseen was blocked due to landsliding for the last 48 hours.
According to Kohistan police rescue teams were facing hardships to clear the particular segment of Karakorum highway due to rains and added such intermittent rain could cause more landsliding, therefore work was in progress cautiously.
Harsh weather conditions have also wreaked havoc with power supply system in various areas especially Tangir and its people were facing shortage of food items.