Heavy rains and snowfall wreak havoc in the upper parts of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir on Friday night, killing at least seven people. Several roads, including the Lawari Tunnel approach road, have been closed.

Authorities have closed schools in Abbottabad, Chitral and Upper Dir districts of the KP province.

The closure of the Karakoram Highway and other roads reportedly left dozens of tourists stuck in different areas. However, there was no report of people becoming stranded on the roads.

Roads shut

A fresh spell of snowfall began Friday evening closing roads in Chitral.

The Upper Dir administration closed the Lowari Tunnel approach road after heavy rainfall on both sides of the roadway, urging travellers not to travel on Friday night.

Roads were also closed in Ghizer in the Gilgit-Balstistan region and AJK’s Jhelum valley.

Reports from Kohistan district said that the Karakoram Highway had been closed at seven points due to landslides.

The Kalash valley received two feet of snowfall, according to Aaj News correspondent while heavy snow choked the life in Garam Chashma and other areas.

Rain and snowfall were also continuing in Swat’s plain areas, Kalam, Mahodand Lake.

Tourists from Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad were seen in large numbers at Kalam, Malam Jabba and Bahrian on Sunday to get pleasures from snowfall and trekking.

Deaths

In Lower Dir, heavy downpours triggered a landslide that left a house buried under the mud. At least three people were killed.

An 8-month-old baby was killed in Peshawar’s Badaber.

A nine-year-old girl died in Mardan due to a roof collapse. Thre other children were injured.

KP Director General Rescue Services 1122 told reporters that a total of 7 people had died across the province including five children.

In Upper Dir and Chitral, the administration decided to close all educational institutions on Saturday.

Schools closed

In Abbottabad district, authorities have closed schools for five days.

The authorities said it was extremely difficult for children to reach school in the current weather conditions. Schools will now open on Wednesday.

In Chitral and Upper Dir, schools were closed for Friday and Saturday.

Schools were scheduled to be open on March 1 after winter vacations, but they remained closed on Friday due to bad weather and heavy snowfall/rainfall.

“All streams and rivers are flooded due to the increase of water flow in the rivers/streams and there is apprehension of land sliding avalanches as well as any other mishap due to extreme bad weather and prevailing therefore, March 2 is declared as general public holiday for all government and private institutions within the limits of Upper Dir district,” the deputy commissioner said in a notification.