ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) About 150 tourists and 300 cars who were stuck in Naran Valley due to heavy snowstorm have been rescued by Pak Army here Monday.
Hundreds of tourists including women and minor children were stranded in Naran Valley after snowfall cut off the area from the rest of the country.
According to the National Highway Authority (NHA) spokesman, the exit and entrance boundaries of the valley have been opened now for the traffic whereas a process is underway to rescue rest of the tourists. He further stated that the road from Balakot to Kaghan is clear.
Read more: PM Nawaz orders safe evacuation of stranded tourists in Kaghan Valley
Earlier, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General (DG) Amir Aafaq said that food and other necessary items have been sent to the tourists, adding that the evacuation process will begin at noon.
Meanwhile, Frontier Works Organization (FWO) has rescued as many as 50 tourists stuck at Bharwai, Bhatta Kundi Road.
The officials became active after the media highlighted the plight of stuck tourists. NHA sent the machinery to remove ice from the roads.
The PDMA has dispatched the food and other necessary items for the stuck tourists while seeking helicopter service from the army.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that as many as 50 tourists stuck at Bharwai Bhatta Kundi Road have been evacuated by the FWO teams.
It said the rescue operations are ongoing in other areas as well.
The National Highway Authority (NHA) has already started clearing roads of the snow. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all the federal institutions to help the provincial government in every way possible.
