BALAKOT: Rescue 1122 conducted an operation during late hours of Sunday to evacuate tourists trapped in Siri Paye, Shogran tourist spot in Balakot.
The tourists were trapped due to sudden snowfall. The rescue mission was completed late at night, Rescue 1122 spokesperson told media on Monday.
The spokesperson informed that more than 300 students of Khyber Medical University (KMU) and Comsat University were stranded due to sudden snowfall at Siri Paye.
The rescue personnel, administration and Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) together rescued tourists trapped in snow after five hours of continuous operation. The students have now been moved to a safe place, rescue officials told media.
The stranded tourists had gone to Siri Paye for a tour where vehicles got stuck due to sudden snowfall.
MORE SNOW EXPECTED
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that on Monday, the weather is likely to remain dry and cold in most parts of the country. Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and adjacent hilly areas are expected to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorm at a few places.
Light snowfall is also predicted for the mountainous regions. Fog is expected in the plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Upper Punjab in the morning hours. Some places in South Punjab and Upper Sindh are also likely to be foggy in the morning and night hours.
Particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PMD said that the weather is likely to be cold and dry in most districts of the province, while it will be extremely cold in the mountainous areas. However, rain and snowfall in the mountains are possible in Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Abbottabad. Fog is expected in some plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the morning hours as well.
Tourists are advised to stay in touch with PMD updates and avoid unnecessary travelling to areas where snowfall, rain or landslides are expected.
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