MURREE, Feb 3: After a gap of about five days heavy snowfall started in Murree and its adjoining areas on Friday and according to reports buses carrying girl students from Murree to Bhurban got stuck in snow on their return.

Sources said efforts were underway till late to get the buses moving by clearing the snow on Bhurban-Murree Road.

Due to early forecast of snowfall by Met Office, a good number of tourists reached Murree on Thursday to witness it. However, their happiness was marred by Wapda as it announced to keep power supply suspended for maintenance purposes on Thursday from 6am to 6pm but the suspension was later extended till 10pm which created severe problems for the tourists and locals alike as water supply which depended heavily on power became scarce in the city.

The recent increase in prices of petroleum products made the local population face severe problems and the forests had also to bear the brunt of it.

Keeping in view the importance of Murree as the most visited tourist resort the previous governments kept it exempted from power loadshedding as there is no industrial use of electricity here. But this year, the exemption has been withdrawn for unknown reasons.

Locals and traders have appealed to the government to continue the exemption in the city.