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At least 16 snow tourists freeze to death in Pakistan

With some 1,000 vehicles still stranded on Saturday (January 8), the government has declared Murree, 64 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Islamabad, a calamity hit area.

"The local people are delivering blankets and food. Now we are only allowing vehicles carrying blankets and food towards Murree. All roads leading to Murree have been sealed," Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan's interior minister said a video message.

The minister said around 1,000 cars were stuck in the hill station, a town elevated from the nearby area, confirming that "16 to 19 people have died inside their cars."

Army platoons and paramilitary forces have been deployed to help the civil administration in rescue operations, he said.