22 dead after potent storm hits Pakistan

Temperatures fell to 18 degrees amid heavy snowfall at Pakistan’s mountain resort town of Murree overnight, killing at least 22 people, including 10 children, who were stuck in their vehicles, officials said Saturday.

Atiq Ahmed, an Islamabad police officer, said eight of the fatalities were from the family of a fellow police officer, who also died.

Most of the victims died of hypothermia, officials said. But others may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running their car heaters for long periods of time, said rescue services physician Abdur Rehman.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said thousands of vehicles were pulled from the snow but more than a thousand were still stuck. More than 4 feet of snow fell overnight and all incoming traffic was blocked Saturday.

Located 28 miles north of the capital of Islamabad, Murree is a popular winter resort that attracts more than a million tourists annually.

Umar Maqbool, a local administrator, said the heavy snowfall hampered rescue efforts and even heavy equipment brought in to clear the snow got stuck initially.

Officials gave no further details about those who died in their snowed-in vehicles but said they were working on both recovery and rescue operations. Maqbool said food and blankets were distributed to the stuck visitors during the night.

Most streets leading to the area’s resorts were largely cleared of snow later Saturday, Maqbool said. Troops and machines were working to clear all the streets, and the military established relief camps at army run schools that provided shelter and food.

SERBIA Mine protesters block roads

Hundreds of people in Serbia spent part of a holiday weekend blocking roads Saturday to protest plans for lithium mining in the Balkan country.

The protests came a day after Orthodox Christians in Serbia and many other countries celebrated Christmas. The demonstrations took place in the capital, Belgrade, and several other locations.

Anti-mine activists have organized weekly gatherings to keep pressure on the populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic to scrap the possibility of lithium excavations in western Serbia.

Experts have warned that mining for lithium, a material used for car and other batteries, would destroy the region’s farmland and water.

Serbia faces numerous environmental problems following decades of neglect. The country is swamped with garbage and has very poor air quality.

BRAZIL Rock slab falls onto boaters

A towering slab of rock broke from a cliff and toppled onto pleasure boaters drifting near a waterfall on a Brazilian lake Saturday, killing at least six people, officials said.

Minas Gerais Fire Department Commander Edgard Estevo told a news conference that in addition to the dead, as many as 20 people may be missing, and officials were trying to identify them. Officials also said at least 32 people were injured.

Video images showed a gathering of small boats moving slowly near the sheer rock cliff on Furnas Lake when a fissure appeared in the rock and a huge piece toppled directly onto at least two of the vessels. Estevo said the accident occurred between the towns of Sao Jose da Barra and Capitolio.

The press office of Minas Gerais state told the Associated Press that the fire department had deployed divers and helicopters to help. Minas Gerais Gov. Romeu Zema sent messages of solidarity with the victims via social media.

Furnas Lake is a tourist destination that draws thousands of weekend visitors to the area 260 miles north of Sao Paulo.

Heavy rains in the region have forced almost 17,000 people out of their homes due to flooding, according to the state Civil Defense. Officials suggested the rains could have contributed to the wall loosening.

MINNESOTA Delay sought in Floyd trial

Prosecutors and defense attorneys for three former Minneapolis officers who are charged in the death of George Floyd asked a judge to postpone their state trial while a federal civil rights trial goes forward.

Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao are scheduled to go to trial on March 7 on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. The three also face a federal trial on Jan. 20 on charges alleging they violated Floyd’s civil rights while acting under government authority.

State prosecutors and defense attorneys filed a joint request Friday to have the state trial postponed, saying it’s not known how long the federal trial will last.

Derek Chauvin, who is white, was sentenced to 22½ years in prison last year on murder and manslaughter charges for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe and eventually went limp. According to evidence in the case against Chauvin, Kueng and Lane helped restrain the Black man as he was on the ground. Thao held back bystanders and kept them from intervening.

Inter Services Public Relations Members of Pakistan’s army take part in a rescue operation after 4 feet of snow stranded motorists at the winter resort of Murree. At least 22 people died, including 10 children, after they became trapped.