PAKISTAN: The early findings of the five-member committee tasked with investigating the causes and errors that led to the Murree tragedy point to the inability of major government ministries to take preventative measures in the wake of the Met Office’s warnings.
The metrological department had issued an advisory on January 6 deeming the weather unsafe, with clear forewarnings of an impending snowstorm, directing the concerned departments to close the roads leading to the tourist attraction – the site of the tragic incident on January 9 that claimed 22 lives.
“During the forecast period, all authorities concerned are particularly recommended to remain ‘alert,'” the Met Office added.
The notice had advised officials to take precautionary measures and prepare for significant snowfall. According to people familiar with the preliminary conclusions of the inquiry committee, the study has found a number of other factors that contributed to the terrible tragedy, including the failure to create a concerted plan of action to prevent a crisis following the Met Office’s warnings.
The committee discovered that the relevant departments, including district administration and disaster management authorities, failed to collaborate in order to develop a common plan of action to avoid a crisis in the aftermath of the Met Office’s severe weather forecasts.
The investigation also revealed that no steps were taken to control the rush of tourists and vehicles into the resort town of Murree.
The committee also discovered that after Murree’s parking capacity was achieved, the authorities did not stop automobiles from entering the town. The contingency plan was not prepared to deal with a crisis situation, and preventative measures such as placing vehicle-lifters on high alert and dispatching traffic cops were not implemented.
“By 6 p.m. on January 7, more than 30,000 vehicles had entered Murree, and the roads were obstructed owing to heavy snowfall,” the report stated, “yet the administration did not close the routes.” Furthermore, the report’s results show that the disaster worsened due to a delayed call to the army for rescue operations, as well as delayed emergency coordination, resulting in avoidable casualties.
According to the report, the vehicles’ parking capacity was surpassed by more than 120 percent.
Eight to nine snowstorm camps are built up each year during the snowy season for the placement of heavy machinery, and additional staff are deployed in various regions prior to the entry of tourist cars. This year, however, no such action was taken.
