The sudden and unexpectedly early snowfall in upper Kaghan valley caused chaos -- as approximately 3,000 tourists in more than 600 vehicles from Punjab and Sindh as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa got stuck in the snow that blocked the only entry and exit route to Naran.

Located 119 kilometres north of Manshera, Naran is arguably one of the most famous tourist destinations in Pakistan due to its scenic beauty -- pleasant weather in summer, lakes, spectacular views of glaciers and the noisy river Kunhar. The town also serves as the base station for other tourist attractions like Saif-ul-Malook and Ansu lakes, Lalazar, Jalkhad and Babusar.

The small town has more than 100 hotels and tent motels to accommodate a huge influx of tourists in the summer season that starts from late April and lasts till mid-November. The area remains inaccessible to visitors during the winter months due to heavy snowfall that blocks the N-15 Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad-Chilas road right from Mahandri, a small town located on the road to Kaghan.

Besides tourism, cultivation of turnips and potatoes is the other major source of revenue for the people of Naran. This year the snowfall started so early that the farmers could not bring out their crops to traditional markets.

The unprecedented snowfall started early on October 25 and caught both the tourists and locals by surprise. The tourists were preparing to return to their homes after the three days of Muharram holidays. More than 2.5 feet of snow fell in Naran in a matter of hours. In areas further north up to three feet of snow was recorded.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) for Hazara, Akhtar Hayat Khan tells TNS that most of the tourists were ill-equipped for a challenging place like Naran. "Panic among the visitors started when vehicles of those trying to leave the area started slipping and wouldn’t move in the snow. Hardly two per cent of tourists came in SUVs. Most of them had small vehicles not suitable for hill stations," he says.

Akhtar Hayat points out that the most important thing for his force was saving lives of people in distress. "Police were the first responders. There was panic as many people had left their hotels in a hurry and were not able to come out of Naran. The local police managed it very well by taking visitors out of their cars stuck in snow and providing them shelter and food at private homes of local people. Luckily the stranded tourists did not have to spend the night outside in the open as it could have caused harm," he adds.

Though many frequent visitors to Naran often complain that the hotel charges in the town are high in comparison with the services that are provided, the recent natural calamity revealed the other, compassionate side of the hotel owners. The hotels association in Naran announced that all tourists would be provided free shelter until the road was cleared.

Muhammad Khalid, a local employee of a hotel, helped many people during their extended stay in Naran. "The visitors were given free rooms. Locals brought extra blankets from their homes to provide comfort to the guests. Many of them were thankful but still some tourists complained on the news channels about the road blockage without mentioning the generosity of the locals," he says.

Muhammad Saleem, who works at Mary Dine hotel in Naran, says they made every effort to help the stranded tourists. "We have 16 rooms in our hotel and the normal rate is Rs5,000 per night. After the snowfall, all rooms were given free of cost to tourists who were mostly from Karachi. We also provided them gas heaters. They cooked their own food in our hotel kitchen," he says.

Saleem added that all hotel employees helped in rescuing stranded vehicles of tourists and walked with them till a glacier five kilometres from Naran town. "We pushed all the vehicles parked in our hotel parking lot and accompanied our guests till Chitta Gatta glacier," he adds.

Several news channels also reported that fuel stations ran out of petrol and those who had some stock charged double the normal price.

Rehan Ali, a petrol station worker, maintained this wasn’t true. "There was no shortage of fuel at the petrol stations. We charged the normal rates, which is just Rs4 higher than the per litre price in cities because of transportation costs," he says.

By the next day, Oct 26, the Pakistan Army and the National Highways Authority personnel arrived for help. Their bulldozers cleared much of the road before another natural disaster struck the region.

The earthquake on October 26 caught the already panic-stricken tourists off guard like the rest of the countrymen.

Many people feared avalanches in an area where land and snow-sliding are not so uncommon. However, most of the visitors were able to move out of the snow-covered Naran town before dark on the same day.

Policemen serving in these tough areas normally remain at their posts in Naran, Besal and Gittidas. The last two places are situated 55 and 85 kilometres north of Naran, respectively. RPO Akhtar Hayat Khan points out that the policemen in Besal had helped in the rescue of 15 miners who were buried under a mine that caved in due to heavy snowfall. "Police were able to rescue the miners. They also pulled out the body of one miner who had died under the debris," he says, adding that the miners were airlifted to a safe place on October 28 by Army helicopters.

Akhtar Hayat said that inclement weather made it impossible to send search and rescue teams to areas far away from Naran on October 26-27. "The Army helicopters were able to fly on October 28 and rescue five policemen from Gittidas. The choppers also rescued 12 locals and brought them to Naran," he adds.

However, the five policemen posted in Besal, probably worried that they might be forgotten, did not wait at their post for any rescue and decided to walk their way to Naran by foot. These men were hit by an avalanche near Jalkhad, 15 kilometres from Besal towards Naran. "We have so far rescued one policeman and found the body of another. Three men are still missing and search for them is continuing," the RPO informed.

The Army helicopters also dropped food, blankets and tents to locals who are stranded in Besal and other areas.

It is high time for the National Disaster Management Authority, road safety and other concerned authorities to prepare themselves for such mishaps in advance.

We need to understand that Pakistan and the region are prone to natural disasters and the frequency and intensity of these catastrophes is increasing. Stronger tremors, devastating floods, scorching heat and heavy and unexpected snowfalls are all proofs of the much talked about climate change. It would be worth trying to educate the masses about how to react in times of such emergencies.