About 150 tourists rescued as snowfall traps visitors in Kaghan Valley

Nearly 150 tourists have been rescued by authorities after being stranded in around 50 vehicles at Babusar Top and the surrounding areas, according to reports.

District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur, while speaking to a private news channel, said that the police successfully rescued around 50 vehicles carrying approximately 150 passengers.

He said that these tourists were traveling between the upper areas of Kaghan Valley and between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan when they became stranded due to heavy snowfall.

He also informed that police teams reached the location, pulled out the vehicles trapped in the snow, and shifted the passengers to hotels and safe shelters in Naran and nearby areas.

Shafiullah Gandapur stated that the rescue operation continued throughout the night and all stranded tourists were transported to safe locations in police vans. “We provided them with every possible assistance,” he added.

He further said that a tourist van carrying 12 passengers, including women and children , was also towed to safety with the help of a police patrol vehicle.

The DPO said that due to bad weather and frozen roads, traffic on the Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad Road has been suspended to avoid any accidents.

He mentioned that if the weather clears and the snow melts, authorities will decide when to restore traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. For now, traffic movement has been restricted.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) has also begun clearing snow on the MNJ Road from Basel to Naran, so stranded tourists can return to various parts of the country with their vehicles.

Meanwhile, the owner of a restaurant in Basel, provided free lodging and meals for the stranded tourists and travelers.

Restaurant owner Hussain Din Swati said, “We welcomed and hosted the passengers who got stuck while traveling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan when the MNJ Road became dangerous due to the slippery snow.”