MANSEHRA: Three tourists — a woman and her two daughters-in-law — were killed after being buried under glacial boulders when a glacier collapsed in Naran near here on Sunday.

A family from the Kharadar area of Karachi had come to Kaghan valley last week. It was taking photographs beneath the glacier on the road leading to Saiful Muluk Lake when the glacier suddenly caved in. The three women were buried under glacial boulders but their eight relatives remained unhurt.

According to deputy commissioner of Mansehra Iqbal Hussain, the deceased were identified as Rozeena Bibi, 50, wife of Mohammad Saleem, and her daughters-in-law Irum Bano, 22, wife of Waqas, and Nimra Bano, 19, wife of Sufiyan.

The local people, jeep drivers and tourists re­­trieved the bodies and shifted them to a nearby hospital.

“We are still searching for anybody who may still be buried under snow. Heavy machinery is being rushed to remove the boulders,” Mr Hussain said. The bodies will be sent to Karachi.

Aamir Ihsan, a witness to the tragic incident, said that the women were taking photographs when suddenly the glacier, which had become hollow due to melting, caved in and the three were buried under boulders.

Other tourists and drivers rushed to the spot and removed heavy snowy boulders but only to find that the women had died.

The glacier had been a source of attraction for tourists visiting Saiful Muluk Lake since long but had been becoming thinner and thinner with every passing day and ultimately met its logical end.

“We also took pictures at the same place a little before the glacier collapsed and its last images are the photographs taken by the victim women,” Mr Ihsan said.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2016