Severe winter weather claimed the lives of nine people from the same family in Chitral on Friday after an avalanche collapsed their home, as intense snowfall, landslides and avalanches disrupted normal life across
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. Roads were blocked, travellers were left stranded and electricity supply and relief efforts were hampered amid the biting cold, reports Dawn.
The incident occurred in Serigal village of the Damil area in southern Chitral, where a massive wall of snow swept down onto a house on Friday afternoon.
Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Hashim Azim said rescue teams recovered the bodies from the wreckage, while a nine-year-old boy was pulled out alive and shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Officials said the avalanche was triggered after the area received over 20 inches of snowfall, with a huge mass of snow sliding down from a nearby pasture and hitting the isolated house in the sparsely populated mountainous village.
The deceased were identified as Bacha Khan, his wife, three sons, two daughters and two daughters-in-law. They were reportedly dining in the central room of the house when the avalanche struck.
Snow continued to fall for over 36 consecutive hours throughout the Chitral valley, from Arandu to Broghil, bringing routine activities to a halt.
Traffic was suspended on multiple routes, including the road leading to the Lowari Tunnel, where thousands of passengers were stuck for nearly 18 hours. Movement resumed on Friday evening after snow-clearing operations.
Many roads in both Upper and Lower Chitral remain impassable due to persistent snowfall. Power outages were also reported after snow at Lowari Top damaged the national transmission line supplying electricity to the region.
Elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, widespread rain and snow led to blocked roads, disrupted power supply and harsh cold conditions. Snowfall on the surrounding hills of the Peshawar valley intensified a cold wave, accompanied by strong, icy winds.
In Khyber district, numerous families returning to their homes from Tirah were caught in a snowstorm and left stranded. Rescue operations were underway in Tirah Valley, Painda Cheena, Dawatoi and Bagh Maidan.
