Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: At least nine members of a family lost their lives after an avalanche engulfed their home in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as relentless snowfall brought widespread disruption across several regions, officials said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the remote Damil area of Serigal village in Chitral district, where a massive wall of snow crashed into an isolated house following over 20 inches of fresh snowfall. Local authorities confirmed that rescue teams recovered nine bodies from the debris, while a nine-year-old boy was pulled out alive and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Deputy Commissioner Hashim Azim said the victims belonged to a single household and were gathered inside the central room for a meal when the avalanche struck without warning. The deceased included the head of the family, his wife, three sons, two daughters and two daughters-in-law.
Snowfall persisted across the Chitral valley for more than 36 hours, severely hampering daily activities. Road connectivity was badly affected, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for long hours until clearance operations restored partial movement on Friday evening.
The extreme weather has impacted wide swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with heavy snow and rain triggering avalanches, landslides and power outages. Major highways and interior roads were blocked, electricity supply was disrupted and relief operations slowed amid freezing temperatures.
In Khyber district, displaced families returning to their homes from the Tirah region were caught in a snowstorm, while emergency teams from Rescue 1122 launched operations in several affected localities, including Painda Cheena, Dawatoi and Bagh Maidan.
Conditions worsened in Gilgit-Baltistan as fresh snowfall choked key routes such as the Karakoram Highway, Baltistan Highway and Ghizer–Shandur Road at multiple points. Local administrations undertook snow clearance and arranged food and temporary shelter for travellers left stranded.
Meanwhile, large parts of Balochistan continued to reel under biting cold, with Quetta recording one of its chilliest nights of the season. Sub-zero temperatures led to burst pipelines and power failures, disrupting water supply in several neighbourhoods of the provincial capital.
In a separate incident, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority successfully rescued 17 people, including women and children, who were trapped on a snowbound road near Muslim Bagh.
Authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary travel and follow official advisories as adverse weather conditions persist across the country.
