An avalanche in Pakistan’s Chitral district killed nine members of one family, including four women, while heavy snow and freezing rain in Afghanistan killed 11 people across six provinces. Thousands of tourists were stranded and roads near Islamabad—particularly the hill station Murree—were blocked. Authorities deployed rescue teams and heavy machinery to clear routes, evacuate the stranded and deliver emergency aid.
Avalanche in Pakistan Kills Nine; Snowstorms in Afghanistan Claim 11 Lives as Tourists Are Stranded Near Islamabad
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
An avalanche in Pakistan’s northwestern Chitral district buried and killed nine members of a single family on Friday, officials said, while heavy snow and freezing rain in neighboring Afghanistan the day before claimed 11 lives across six provinces. The severe weather also stranded thousands of tourists and blocked major roads around Islamabad, particularly the popular hill station Murree.
Pakistan: Chitral Avalanche and Murree Disruption
Emergency crews in Pakistan worked for hours before recovering all nine bodies from beneath the snow in Chitral, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border. Bilal Faizi, a government spokesperson, said four of the victims were women.
Separately, the season’s first heavy snowfall obstructed multiple routes to Murree, a hill station about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Islamabad. Authorities said rescue teams and heavy machinery were being deployed to clear drifts, reach stranded tourists and evacuate those in danger.
Islamabad’s district administration advised people not to travel to Murree and closed all approaches to allow teams to focus on evacuations. Despite warnings, hundreds of vehicles formed long traffic jams on Islamabad’s outskirts as some drivers refused to turn back. Officials reported dozens of cars parked outside Murree hotels that were buried by snow.
Afghanistan: Widespread Snow and Freezing Rain
Mohammad Yousuf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said freezing rain and snow killed 11 people in six provinces, cut off roads and left towns and villages isolated. Heavy snowfall blocked routes connecting provincial capitals with outlying villages in at least four provinces and closed the Salang Pass, the high-altitude crossing that links Kabul with northern Afghanistan.
The disaster management agency said local officials were ordered to "use all their resources to urgently reach affected people and provide food and non-food assistance."
Response and Context
Authorities in both countries mobilized rescue teams and heavy equipment to clear roads, evacuate stranded people and deliver aid. Pakistan had tightened winter emergency measures in Murree and other northern areas after a deadly January 2022 storm in which at least 22 tourists died while trapped in their cars. Afghanistan also experienced deadly winter weather earlier, when heavy snowfall and rain killed 36 people in February 2025.
Officials warned residents and travelers to avoid nonessential journeys while search-and-rescue and relief operations continue across affected areas.
Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan in Kabul contributed to this report.
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