ABBOTTABAD, Dec 20: Forty-four girl students and nine other tourists from Lahore are stranded in the Changla Gali hill resort which was cut off from the rest of the country because of heavy snowfall in the region on Sunday.

The road from Nathiagali to Murree which was completely blocked by snow on Sunday was partially cleared by the highways department on Monday night. But drivers of the PTDC vehicles which had taken the tourists to Changla Gali decided not to take any risk by driving them out at night.

SSP Abbottabad Syed Feroz Shah, however, told this correspondent that efforts would be made to take the stranded people out of Changla Gali any time at night or early Tuesday morning.

The girls of the Grammar University, Lahore, were on way to Nathiagali from Murree when the snowfall blocked the road near Nathiagali. They were taken to a hotel in Changla Gali. The other stranded tourists were staying at the same hotel.