Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/AJK: At least 230 stranded tourists were evacuated safely from a high altitude tourist resort in Pir Chinasi, a suburb of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital Muzaffarabad after they got stuck in heavy snow.
Over 30 vehicles of tourists were stuck as roads were slippery because of heavy snowfall. Rescue 1122 left Muzaffarabad to evacuate the tourists stranded in Pir Chinasi and they were safely evacuated.
AJK police said that in bad weather, vehicles in mountain terrains become inoperable near Pir Chinasi. Machinery was not available at the tourist destination before the chained machinery was dispatched to the spot.
Rescue Authorities Advise
Rescue authorities managed to reach the deep snow-covered spot through their 4×4 vehicles and moved on heavy snowy tracks.
Following the evacuation operation, the tourists were shifted to a state-run guesthouse in Saran, five kilometres away from Pir Chinasi.
Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Masood Ur Rehman said that 30 drivers were provided with safe accommodation in the Saran rest house for the night so that they drive back to their stuck vehicles once the weather was clear.
The authorities said that heavy snowfall was causing hindrances in rescue operations, as slippery roads were making vehicles and shoes lose their grip on the surface.
