At least 15 people including a Scout were killed as avalanches hit different villages of Chitral district on Sunday. Chitral Scouts Commandant Colonel Nizamuddin Shah told media persons that bodies of 15 people were taken out from the rubble in Sher Shal village, where an avalanche buried at least 10 houses.
The dead included six women, six children and two men, Colonel Nizamuddin Shah added.
Meanwhile, 12 people were rescued and evacuated. Efforts are underway to take the injured to hospital but roads are blocked due to heavy snow, hampering evacuation, rescue sources said. Rescue teams left for the affected area on foot, as the areas are inaccessible to vehicles due to heavy snowfall.
A young Chitral scout, identified as Irshad, embraced martyrdom as an avalanche buried a check-post in Damil village of the district on Sunday, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
So far seven bodies and two injured have been recovered from the rubble, the ISPR said.
Efforts are underway to rescue people trapped in Sher Shal and Garam Chashma. The FC personnel are assisting civil administration in the rescue efforts, it said.
Some soldiers were rescued early Sunday morning from areas affected by heavy snow, the ISPR said, adding that the Army helicopter will start rescue efforts once the weather improves.
The ISPR statement added that the Chief of Army Staff has also instructed Pakistan Army to assist the NDMA, PDMA and civil administration in the rescue work.
At least 25 houses have been buried and five houses have been completely destroyed, Colonel Shah said.
Chitral District Nazim Maghfirat Shah told media that due to heavy snowfall in the area over the past two days several families had been shifted to safer locations. However, he added, some families had remained in the locality which was affected by the avalanche.
As heavy snowfall was blocking the main roads, the injured were transported to smaller medical centres in the area as they could not be shifted to District Headquarters Hospital for treatment.
A rescue operation in Chaghi area was completed, the ISPR said, as the FC and PDMA worked overnight to rescue 108 stranded travellers and shifted them to Noshki. It is unclear how many people have been affected by the avalanche as yet.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has activated the National Emergency Operations Centre to co-ordinate rescue and relief efforts in the avalanche-hit area.
The NDMA is co-ordinating the provision of a helicopter for the operations and has also asked the National Highways Authority to fully mobilise its machinery on all critical sections for road clearance.
Inter-Services Public Relations said Chitral Frontier Constabulary troops are assisting the civil administration and NDMA for rescue operations in Sher Shal.
An army helicopter will supply relief items and expedite the rescue operation subject to weather clearance, the ISPR said.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa directed the army to provide maximum assistance to the NDMA, PDMA and local administration for timely and effective rescue and relief operations.