Cold returns to KPs Hazara amid rain, snow in some areas; landslides cause road blockages

MANSEHRA: Several roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hazara Division were blocked on Thursday due to landslides amid a fresh spell of snowfall and rain in some areas.
It began snowing in the early hours in Kaghan valley, Siren valley, Konsh valley, Koh-i-Makra and other high-altitude areas. Snowfall continued in these areas through the day intermittently.
Meanwhile, link roads, which connect hundreds of villages with the Karakoram Highway and Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, were blocked due to landslides in the upper parts of the division
“Nobody was expecting two weeks ago that the temperature, which had risen in early summer, would drop below the freezing point in mountainous parts, causing severe cold in urban areas as well,” Sheikh Ghafoor, a local resident said while speaking to Dawn.
He said the residents had begun wearing clothes that were suitable for summer, but they were now again wearing shawls, jackets, and sweaters and other clothes made of sheep wool.
“We have been hearing about significant changes in the weather pattern in the division, but are now experiencing it ourselves. It is as cold as it used to be in December and January, even though February and most of March had been hot,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas received heavy downpour throughout the day.

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