Pope Francis expressed sadness about Murree’s tragedy. At a ceremony in the Vatican, additional prayers were made for those killed in the tragedy, geographic information reported on Sunday. Sad Pope Francis said he shared his sorrow with the deceased’s family.
Twenty-two persons, including women and children, lost their lives in freezing temperature on Friday night at the hill station Murree. Most of the tourists died in their cars as they were trapped in road jams due to impossible snow clearing operations.
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Murree tragedy has shocked everyone
Only after the disaster was shown on television and on social media did the district administration take action to prevent more vehicles from entering the city. However, according to AC Murree, 155,000 cars had visited the city at that time, with only 35,000 parking places available. On the snow-covered roads, huge pile-ups of cars and vans could be seen, with nowhere to escape or to flee for safety as women and children remained trapped into vehicles in subzero temperatures.
Many of the guests were said to be crying out for assistance, which was not forthcoming. The sight of so many children and mothers caught up in the danger was sad. They were hungry, exhausted, and several of their vehicles were out of gas.
How Pak army stepped in?
Meanwhile, some of the tourists who remained stranded told Geo News that the civil administration was nowhere to be seen, adding that rescue and relief work was being carried out by the Pakistan Army officials only. They praised the army officials for reaching out to them, giving them food items and making efforts to clear the roads.
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Visitors from different walks of life strongly protested against the district administration for not putting up any safety measures in the face of heavy snowfall. They should have prevented the traffic from going to Murree and must have warned the public from going to Murree in view of the Met Office warning of January 5, the people complained.