9 of a family killed in avalanche in northwest Pakistan

At least nine members of a family were killed when an avalanche buried their house in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as heavy snowfall blanketed several regions of the country. Avalanches triggered by snowfall on Friday brought life to a standstill across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), blocking roads, stranding travellers and disrupting electricity and relief operations amid freezing temperatures, the Dawn newspaper reported.

An avalanche struck a house in Damil area in Serigal village in the extreme south of Chitral district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday afternoon. Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Hashim Azim said the bodies were recovered from the debris, while a nine-year-old boy survived and was rushed to hospital.Officials said the avalanche was triggered after the area received over 20 inches of snowfall