MANSEHRA: Over 400 students and teachers, stranded in the mountainous Siri Paye meadow of Shogran area here, were rescued in the early hours of Monday as the area recorded the heaviest snowfall of the season.

“The bumpy four-wheel track connecting Shogran tourist resort to Siri Paye was blocked to traffic due to the heavy snowfall leaving over 400 students and their guardians stranded. We managed to safely rescue all of them,” Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Abrar Ali told reporters.

He said Siri Paye, situated over 10,000 feet above sea level, and its surrounding areas received the heaviest snowfall of the season on Sunday night, which continued sporadically until 9 am the next morning.

Mr Ali said that students from Khyber Medical University Peshawar and the COMSATS University Wah Cantt campus were caught in the snowstorm and remained stranded in the highest mountainous parts of the region.

Area records season’s heaviest snowfall

“We initiated the rescue operation around 9pm on Sunday night, which continued until morning, successfully rescuing all 400 male and female students and their teachers,” he said.

Mr Ali said two female students had suffered from suffocation due to the low oxygen levels at such a high altitude, but none of the other students experienced serious health issues or complications.

“Officials from the tehsil municipal administration and the Kaghan Development Authority also participated in the operation. Our ambulances transported the stranded students to safer locations from where they continued to leave for their respective destinations,” he said.

The official said all rescued students were given first aid as most of them had walked from the mountainous area and then been picked up by their vehicles and ambulances.

Meanwhile, Kaghan Valley and other high-altitude parts in Hazara Division also received snowfall, plunging the region to a severe cold wave.

In Abbottabad, Rescue 1122 recovered two tourists from Punjab who went missing from Mirajani on Sunday.

Visitors from Sahiwal and Bahawalpur districts who were on a hiking trip to the famous peak went missing on the night of Saturday and on receiving the information, the rescue team started the search operation.

The rescue personnel along with Galiyat police put in hectic efforts throughout the night and safely recovered the two youths identified as Abdullah, 21, resident of Sahiwal, and Sikandar, 22, resident of Bahawalpur and were also given first aid on the spot.

Meanwhile, former PML-N district president from Torghar’s only constituency Taimurullah Khan and district general secretary Zahir Shah on Monday joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf during a special ceremony in Judbah area.

MPA from Torghar Laiq Mohammad Khan, who is the younger brother of jailed PTI leader Azam Khan Swati, also addressed the gathering and welcomed the two PML-N leaders to his party.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024