Murree tragedy: Sheikh Rashid visits families of the deceased
Jan 10, 2022: Murree tragedy: Sheikh Rashid visits the home of six people who died.
According to a report by BaaghiTV, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid reached out to the family to offer condolences to a family who lost six members in the Murree tragedy.
On this occasion, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that in this hour of sorrow you are with the incident is very sad which is very sad.
Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed further said that there was so much snowfall in Murree that no one looked at the Meteorological Department. The minister said the government had no idea that such a large number of people would turn to Murree during the snowstorm. He accepted responsibility on the government’s behalf saying what happens in the future in the event of such a storm is the government’s responsibility. Having said that however, he also referred to the large crowds and how hard it was to control such a large number of people.
راولپنڈی:
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) January 10, 2022
مری میں مرنے والے 6 افراد کے اہل خانہ کے ساتھ ان کےگھر پر تعزیت کرتے ہوۓ. pic.twitter.com/D7F73j20TG
Preliminary investigation report after Murree tragedy has been submitted to Punjab government. A private media outlet quoted the preliminary investigation report as saying that in the last two years, the main roads around Murree and its environs have not been repaired. There were potholes on the road and heavy snowfall in the pits hampered the flow of traffic. Despite slipping outside a private cafe in Murree, there was no government machinery and the exit out of Murree experienced heavy traffic in slippery road conditions.
According to the preliminary investigation report, there was no machinery on the highway to remove snow on the way out of Murree. Due to lack of electricity in different parts of Murree, tourists preferred to leave their hotels and stay in vehicles. Due to the intervention of DC Rawalpindi and CPO Rawalpindi last night, the movement of vehicles in Murree was banned and the drivers of snow removal machinery could not reach the spot on time due to traffic closure on Murree highways.
However, the concerned Assistant Commissioner and DSP were present on the occasion to ensure the flow of traffic. The report also pointed to lack of parking spaces being one of the causes saying there is no parking plaza in Murree where vehicles can be parked.
Earlier, the Punjab Chief Minister had constituted a committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary for further investigation. Zafar Nasrullah (Additional Chief Secretary) has been appointed Convener of the Inquiry Committee. The remaining members of the Inquiry include two Provincial Secretaries and an Additional IG.
The eight questions posed in the inquiry also came to light. The inquiry seeks answers for these questions; Why was the Joint Action Plan not prepared despite the Meteorological Department’s meteorological warning? Was an advisory issued for all tourists or was any warning given? What steps have been taken to do so? Was the number of traffic (vehicles) counted and when vehicles increased they were not stopped? Was there a plan for crisis? Was there a control room? Are local hotels and guesthouses contacted to deal with emergencies? How successful was the rescue operation? How many vehicles were evacuated? What were the shortcomings and shortcomings of which officers in all these crises?
According to the Associated Press, more than 1 meter fell on roads around Murree in northern Pakistan, which left tens of thousands of vehicles stranded and at least 22 people dead.
Most of the dead were tourists in family groups, including 10 children. The unfortunate tourists include a family of five children under the age of 15, a group of four friends and a family of two children. Authorities say it appears most of them died, after being intoxicated with carbon monoxide.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said, “The area had the largest number of crowd in the past 20 years to cause the tragic disaster.”
Minister Rashid said passengers in thousands of vehicles were rescued through Saturday night, but rescue equipment did not secure proper access to the areas due to immense snowfall, leaving thousands of vehicles still stranded.
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