Date | 16 Januy 2020 |
---|---|
Location | Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan |
Cause | Avalanche |
Deaths | At least 74 |
Non-fatal injuries | several |
In January 2020, at least 74 people[1][2] were killed and several others were injured in Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, after a series of avalanches triggered by heavy snowfall destroyed and buried houses.[3][4]
A state of emergency was declared for the affected areas.[5] Pakistan Army helicopters flew search and rescue missions for three days.[6] According to Deputy Commissioner of Neelum, Raja Mahmood Shahid, at least 84 houses and 17 shops were destroyed by the avalanches. While, 94 houses and a mosque were partially damaged besides the damage to 19 vehicles, including 10 motorbikes.[7][8] Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the land sliding and snow-hit victims at Combined Military Hospital in Muzaffarabad.[9]