LOWER DIR: Heavy snowfall and landslides on Friday disrupted life and left scores of vehicles stuck on the roads in Malakand and Hazara divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dozens of tourists got stranded on the roads for long hours as the snowfall continued for the second consecutive day.

The Dir-Chitral Road was closed to traffic on both sides of the Lowari Tunnel in Upper Dir district.

Residents said over a dozen passenger vehicles were stranded in the snowbound road near the Lowari Tunnel.

They said a Rescue 1122 team helped vehicles leave the area. However, smooth vehicular flow wasn’t ensured on the road.

Vehicles stranded on roads for hours; power outages also reported

The Lowari Top received more than two feet of snow.

An official of the administration told Dawn that heavy machinery was used to clear the road leading to Chitral.

Hilly areas of Upper Dir received heavy snowfall to the misery of the residents of Barawal, Usherai Dara, Kohistan, Kumrat, Doog Dara and Sharingal.

Laram Top, Kalpani Top, Shahi, Bin Shahi and SiarSar donned a white blanket due to heavy snowfall. A hailstorm was reported in parts of Adenzai tehsil.

The administration claimed that it was striving to clear snow from the Samarbagh-Shahi Road with heavy machinery.

It also snowed in hilly areas of Maskini Dara, Shahi, Bin Shahi and Sar Lara forcing the residents to restrict movement and stay indoors.

Dozens of tourists got stranded in Swat district’s Kalam area after avalanches blocked the Bahrain-Kalam Road in Gureet and Jakh areas.

The residents said heavy snowfall started on Thursday morning and continued to lash Kalam and adjoining areas until Friday evening.

They said hundreds of tourists turned to Kalam to enjoy the snowfall but many of them were desperate to return but got stuck due to the blocked road.

Madar Khan of Kalam feared food and medicine shortages.

Aftab Khan of Bahrain said many tourists returned halfway from the way to their homes after finding the road was blocked by snow and mudslides.

Bahrain assistant commissioner Ishaq Ahmad told Dawn that heavy machinery had been used to clear the road but it was impossible to move it on the blocked sections of the road.

“We will be able to remove snow only after the storm is over,” he said.

The AC said tourists in Kalam enjoyed the snowfall and would return after the weekend. He said the administration didn’t allow tourists in Bahrain to go to Kalam.

Meanwhile, the Karakoram Highway and Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road were cleared to traffic in Upper Kohistan and Kaghan areas during the day.

They’re blocked by land and mudslides on Thursday evening leaving motorists and commuters stranded.

The Rescue 1122 cleared the KKH in Ichar Nullah and Sazeen areas restoring traffic.

The people, mostly travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, left for their respective destinations.

The Kaghan Development Authority’s snowploughs cleared the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road near Paras area in Kaghan valley.

The artery was blocked by heavy landslides. High-altitude parts of the Kaghan valley also received snowfall for the third consecutive day on Friday.

The police didn’t allow both locals and visitors to go beyond Kaghan town fearing more landslides and blocking of the MNJ Road.

The KDA officials restricted the movement of motorists in their own vehicles to the mountainous tourist resort of Shogran and guided them to avail themselves of four-wheeler facility for safe journey.

Shangla, too, recorded heavy snowfall for the second consecutive day. The temperature plunged below freezing point disrupting life. The snowfall also blocked roads and suspended power supply.

Heavy snowfall was reported in Kohat, Hangu and areas bordering Orakzai tribal district.

Mountains of Kohat and Darra Adamkhel were blanketed in white due to snowfall. Snow also fell on a mountain between Kohat and Orakzai.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2023