At least 21 people died in Pakistan after heavy snow left them stranded in their cars on roads leading to a popular tourist town just outside Islamabad.
More than 4 feet (122cm) of snow fell in the area of the Murree Hills resort overnight Friday and early on Saturday, trapping thousands of cars on roadways, said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
The snow was so severe that heavy equipment brought in to clear it initially got stuck during the night, said Umar Maqbool, assistant commissioner for the town of Murree.
Temperatures fell to minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
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Officials called in paramilitary troops and a special military mountain unit to help. By late Saturday, thousands of vehicles had been pulled from the snow but more than 1,000 were still stuck, Ahmed said.
Rescue 1122, Pakistan’s emergency service, released a list naming 21 people it said had been confirmed dead.
Rescue services physician Abdur Rehman put the toll at 22, including 10 men, 10 children and two women.
Emergency officials distributed food and blankets to people while they were trapped in their snowed-in vehicles, but many died of hypothermia. Others may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running their car heaters for long periods of time, said Rehman.
