January 15, 2020

Anna Murray 

A landslide caused a series of avalanches in Pakistan-governed Kashmir. The most severe impacted area was in Neelum Valley. As of January 12, the heavy snow and cold temperatures caused at least 160 dead in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Citizens in that areas needed the urgent assistance. 

Houses had been destroyed and buried by the heavy snow. Some of the houses had been destroyed and some people had been injured and killed, according to the state minister disaster management and rehabilitation, Ahmad Raza Qadri. 

A 12-year-old girl, Samina Bibi, was found alive 18 hours after the severe avalanches. She said that I thought I would die there. After being airlifted, she stayed in Muzaffarabad’s hospital, where many injured people received the treatment. 

Since January 12, the weather-related accident killed at least 76 people in Pakistan-administrated region. The heavy snow caused roofs to collapse. It made 45 people killed in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan and eastern Punjab province. 

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan requested that the national disaster agency, the military, and the federal ministers offer the further assistance to the impacted victims. 

Rescuers believed that there were still many people trapped or buried in their home after the heavy snowfall. Many roads were blocked by snow. The power plant was destroyed. Local authorities used helicopters to rescue those affected citizens. 

In Afghanistan, the terrible situation was back to normal. Since January 12, the heavy snowfall and rains have killed 39 people and destroyed around 300 homes.

The heavy snow is common for this time of year. Since the severe weather condition is getting better, the weather forecast predicts to influence the area again in the end of the week.  

Photo:Webshot.