22 die in snow-trapped cars
AT LEAST 22 people, including a family of eight, died in sub-zero conditions after their vehicles were trapped by heavy snowfall in Pakistan.
Four feet of snow blocked roads, trapping thousands of vehicles. Many of them carried tourists near the popular mountain resort town of Murree, 28 miles north of the capital Islamabad.
The temperature overnight on Friday plummeted to -8C (18F) and most of the victims – 10 men, 10 children and two women – died of hypothermia.
Stranded tourists were evacuated and thousands of cars pulled from the snow.
But yesterday rescue services said they had yet to reach more than 1,000 vehicles that remained stuck in the area.
Islamabad policeman
Atiq Ahmed said the 22 fatalities included a fellow officer from the capital,
Naveed Iqbal, and seven other members of his family.