22 tourists 'froze to death' in Pakistan's Murree town. Reports say the victims were compelled to spend the night in their cars due to absurdly high fares at hotels. Pakistanis say they won't visit the town anymore. Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: The Murree Tragedy: 22 Pakistani tourists freeze to death

Few days ago we reported about the tragic deaths of 22 people in Pakistan's Murree, they were stuck in their cars during a snowstorm and died from the cold or carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes. Over five-member committee has been announced by the Punjab government to investigate the causes and lapses that led to the death of the tourists.

Pakistan: 22 tourists freeze to death in Murree, five-member committee announced to probe death

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="29">Following the recent Murree disaster in Pakistan, which took the lives of innocent visitors, netizens on the microblogging platform Twitter have called for a boycott of the highland resorts because hoteliers have requested excessive rates in the inhuman conditions.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="31">Hotel proprietors, according to local media sources, increased the rent of a room from Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 per night, which was previously available for Rs 6,000- Rs 10,000 per night.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-from-init="true" data-paragraphid="32">A snowstorm hit Murree, Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan, on January 7, 2022, dumping almost 4 feet of snow and killing 23 domestic tourists who had come to view the thick snow.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="33">Tourists were compelled to spend the night in their automobiles due to excessive hotel fees; many could not afford the high-priced accommodations.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="34">Tourists claimed to a local media outlet that "cold-hearted" hotel proprietors had no pity, even on children, and that basic food prices had increased due to the bad weather conditions in the most-visited area.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="35">A ten-rupee packet of biscuits was sold for Rs300, while a water bottle was offered for Rs250-300.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/boycottmuree?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#boycottmuree</a> is trending again for all the same reasons.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%B9_%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#بائیکاٹ_مری</a> <a href="https://t.co/HTPvk4ELCC">https://t.co/HTPvk4ELCC</a> <a href="https://t.co/GfXrVRAuIk">pic.twitter.com/GfXrVRAuIk</a></p>
— Major Adil Raja (R) (@soldierspeaks) <a href="https://twitter.com/soldierspeaks/status/1480296497346400256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Boycott Murree</p>
— Shafaat Ali (@iamshafaatali) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamshafaatali/status/1480401673512267776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The businessmen of Murree are cruel. They don’t have any humanity, their hearts are made of stone. They only know one thing, looting money from those who are desperate &amp; in need. The govt must fine them some how &amp; the people should boycott Murree. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Murree?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Murree</a></p>
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) <a href="https://twitter.com/iihtishamm/status/1480461370055434242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Majboori ka faida, 50k hotel room per night in Murree, due to which those Pakistanis who couldn't afford died in their cars.<br />
Me as a patriotic Pakistani is going to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/boycottmurree?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#boycottmurree</a> until there is legal action against the Hotel mafia's.<br />
Spread the words and start this trend. <a href="https://t.co/UccxvM2Z3g">pic.twitter.com/UccxvM2Z3g</a></p>
— Pakistan (@SarPak0) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarPak0/status/1480263661193154569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>As a result, many people were compelled to stay in their cars during the snowstorm as a result of the circumstances.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="37">For hours, many people went hungry.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="38">A journalist tweeted a receipt from a hotel in Murree that showed he was charged Rs 20,000 for a single room.</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="39">The family was instructed to evacuate the accommodation the next day because it lacked a heater and hot water.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-changed="false" data-paragraphid="40">Using the hashtag # BoycottMuree, Pakistanis are constantly uploading videos and sharing their thoughts on the behaviour of locals and hotels in Murree.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is extremely shameful to see how a few locals in Murree have found a way to make a quick buck. Authorities should investigate this and we have to focus on making our places tourist-friendly. <a href="https://t.co/RxxoyQ4XAC">https://t.co/RxxoyQ4XAC</a></p>
— Mariam's Madness (@MaddyWithKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaddyWithKhan/status/1480568763539984387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Following the recent Murree disaster in Pakistan, which took the lives of innocent visitors, netizens on the microblogging platform Twitter have called for a boycott of the highland resorts because hoteliers have requested excessive rates in the inhuman conditions.

Following the recent Murree disaster in Pakistan, which took the lives of innocent visitors, netizens on the microblogging platform Twitter have called for a boycott of the highland resorts because hoteliers have requested excessive rates in the inhuman conditions. Hotel proprietors, according to local media sources, increased the rent of a room from Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 per night, which was previously available for Rs 6,000- Rs 10,000 per night. A snowstorm hit Murree, Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan, on January 7, 2022, dumping almost 4 feet of snow and killing 23 domestic tourists who had come to view the thick snow. Tourists were compelled to spend the night in their automobiles due to excessive hotel fees; many could not afford the high-priced accommodations. Tourists claimed to a local media outlet that "cold-hearted" hotel proprietors had no pity, even on children, and that basic food prices had increased due to the bad weather conditions in the most-visited area. A ten-rupee packet of biscuits was sold for Rs300, while a water bottle was offered for Rs250-300. #boycottmuree is trending again for all the same reasons.#بائیکاٹ_مری https://t.co/HTPvk4ELCC pic.twitter.com/GfXrVRAuIk — Major Adil Raja (R) (@soldierspeaks) January 9, 2022 × Boycott Murree — Shafaat Ali (@iamshafaatali) January 10, 2022 × The businessmen of Murree are cruel. They don’t have any humanity, their hearts are made of stone. They only know one thing, looting money from those who are desperate & in need. The govt must fine them some how & the people should boycott Murree. #Murree — Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) January 10, 2022 × Majboori ka faida, 50k hotel room per night in Murree, due to which those Pakistanis who couldn't afford died in their cars. Me as a patriotic Pakistani is going to #boycottmurree until there is legal action against the Hotel mafia's. Spread the words and start this trend. pic.twitter.com/UccxvM2Z3g — Pakistan (@SarPak0) January 9, 2022 × As a result, many people were compelled to stay in their cars during the snowstorm as a result of the circumstances. For hours, many people went hungry. A journalist tweeted a receipt from a hotel in Murree that showed he was charged Rs 20,000 for a single room. The family was instructed to evacuate the accommodation the next day because it lacked a heater and hot water. Using the hashtag # BoycottMuree, Pakistanis are constantly uploading videos and sharing their thoughts on the behaviour of locals and hotels in Murree. It is extremely shameful to see how a few locals in Murree have found a way to make a quick buck. Authorities should investigate this and we have to focus on making our places tourist-friendly. https://t.co/RxxoyQ4XAC — Mariam's Madness (@MaddyWithKhan) January 10, 2022 × (With inputs from agencies)

#BoycottMurree trends in Pakistan as hotels loot people after 23 die trapped in snowfall

<p>Pakistan has formed a committee on Sunday to investigate the deaths of more than 20 people, who were left stranded in their vehicles in northern Pakistan and died in freezing temperatures, as per report.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pakistan-based media outlet Geo News reported that&nbsp;Additional Chief Secretary Home Zafar Nasrullah has been appointed as the convener of&nbsp;the committee. The report cited a notification that was issued after the names of the committee members were finalised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per the report, Provincial secretaries Ali Sarfaraz, Asad Gilani, Assistant Inspector General Farooq Mazhar have been named as members of the committee.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/imran-khan-vladimir-putin-likely-to-meet-in-china-on-the-sidelines-of-winter-olympics-443494">Imran Khan, Vladimir Putin likely to meet in China on the sidelines of Winter Olympics</a></strong></p>

<p>Local media reports have stated that the death toll from heavy snowfall in Pakistan's Murree has surged to 23.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Pakistan government has declared Murree, which is around 64 km northeast of the capital Islamabad, a calamity hit area. Some 1,000 vehicles are still stranded and media reports added that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in a video address said: "For the first time in 15 to 20 years such large number of tourists flocked to Murree, which created a big crisis."</p>

<p>So far, the Pakistan officials have given no word on the causes of the deaths.</p>

<p>"Were the deaths caused by cold or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning?," Dr. Faheem Yonus, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland UCH, said in a tweet.</p>

<p>"CO is odorless, lethal if an idling car is buried in snow, the blocked exhaust (silencer) can quickly kill the passengers as they breath CO," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-crisis-russia-says-preliminary-talks-with-us-in-geneva-complex-but-businesslike-443468">Ukraine crisis: Russia says preliminary talks with US in Geneva 'complex but businesslike'</a></strong></p>

<p><strong>How the committee will work?</strong></p>

<p>The media report has revealed how the committee members will go about the investigation as it stated that they&nbsp;will check what precautionary measures were taken by institutions after weather advisory was issued by the Met Office.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The committee will also probe&nbsp;weather travel warning was run on news channels so people would have refrained from flocking to the tourist destination.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The committee will probe what traffic control measures were taken amid the snowstorm and after reports of the adverse weather conditions were received, what safety measures were implemented.</p>

<p>The report as a result of the findings obtained will be submitted to the provincial government in seven days.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Pakistan has formed a committee on Sunday to investigate the deaths of more than 20 people, who were left stranded in their vehicles in northern Pakistan and died in freezing temperatures, as per report.

Pakistan has formed a committee on Sunday to investigate the deaths of more than 20 people, who were left stranded in their vehicles in northern Pakistan and died in freezing temperatures, as per report. Pakistan-based media outlet Geo News reported that Additional Chief Secretary Home Zafar Nasrullah has been appointed as the convener of the committee. The report cited a notification that was issued after the names of the committee members were finalised. As per the report, Provincial secretaries Ali Sarfaraz, Asad Gilani, Assistant Inspector General Farooq Mazhar have been named as members of the committee. ALSO READ | Imran Khan, Vladimir Putin likely to meet in China on the sidelines of Winter Olympics Local media reports have stated that the death toll from heavy snowfall in Pakistan's Murree has surged to 23. The Pakistan government has declared Murree, which is around 64 km northeast of the capital Islamabad, a calamity hit area. Some 1,000 vehicles are still stranded and media reports added that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station. Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in a video address said: "For the first time in 15 to 20 years such large number of tourists flocked to Murree, which created a big crisis." So far, the Pakistan officials have given no word on the causes of the deaths. "Were the deaths caused by cold or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning?," Dr. Faheem Yonus, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland UCH, said in a tweet. "CO is odorless, lethal if an idling car is buried in snow, the blocked exhaust (silencer) can quickly kill the passengers as they breath CO," he added. ALSO READ | Ukraine crisis: Russia says preliminary talks with US in Geneva 'complex but businesslike' How the committee will work? The media report has revealed how the committee members will go about the investigation as it stated that they will check what precautionary measures were taken by institutions after weather advisory was issued by the Met Office. The committee will also probe weather travel warning was run on news channels so people would have refrained from flocking to the tourist destination. The committee will probe what traffic control measures were taken amid the snowstorm and after reports of the adverse weather conditions were received, what safety measures were implemented. The report as a result of the findings obtained will be submitted to the provincial government in seven days. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan forms committee to investigate Murree tragedy after at least 23 people die in freezing temperatures

In an unfortunate incident at least 21 people have died of cold in Pakistan's hill town of Murree after heavy snow trapped them in their vehicles.

At least 21 people die of cold in Pakistan's Muree after heavy snow traps them inside vehicles

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