The incident occurs in Sareegal village and a snowslide traps 10 members of a family; president offers condolences
Pakistan Army recovers and relocates bodies of victims killed in Damel avalanche in Lower Chitral. Photo: Express
At least nine people were killed and a child injured after an avalanche hit a house in the remote Damel area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Chitral following heavy snowfall, officials said on Friday.
Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Rao Hashim Azeem confirmed the toll to The Express PAkGazette, He added that all the bodies buried under the rubble were recovered. He said the injured boy was rescued alive and taken to Drosh for medical treatment.
Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Bilal Ahmed Faizi said the incident occurred in Sareegal village, within the jurisdiction of PP Damil and PS Arandu, when a huge snowslide trapped 10 members of the same family under the rubble.
He said locals immediately launched rescue efforts and initially recovered four bodies from the rubble. Search and rescue operations continued amid difficult conditions, with police present at the scene to assist the affected family and coordinate relief efforts.
Faizi said the victims were identified as a man, his wife and seven of their children, including three daughters and two sons.
He added that a rescue operation was carried out with the participation of Pakistan Army, Chitral Scouts, Chitral Revenue and Chitral Police, with local volunteers playing a key role despite the harsh weather and terrain conditions.
Lower Chitral district police officer Riffatullah Khan said it was still snowing at the time of the incident and Chitral police were working to clear access routes. He added that along with the police, the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps participated in the relief work, rescuing the injured and recovering the bodies, thus completing the operation.
According to the DPO, a police alert was issued due to the continued severe weather conditions, and officers were ordered to remain on duty 24 hours a day until the situation improved.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life in the avalanche.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in an avalanche in Chitral and termed the recent extreme weather a climate emergency. Led federal, provincial and local authorities to improve public preparedness, relief and communication using modern technology.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) January 23, 2026
In a post on
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took note of the avalanche incident in Chitral and ordered immediate provision of relief and assistance to the affected families.
He ordered relevant authorities to accelerate rescue and relief operations and ordered additional machinery and personnel to be deployed to restore roads in snow-affected areas.
CM Afridi termed the incident extremely tragic and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased. In addition, he ordered that the injured receive the best possible medical care.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed deep sorrow over the death of nine people after an avalanche hit a house in Domel area of Chitral, while conveying his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and praying for those who lost their lives in the incident.
The governor called the incident extremely tragic and said the provincial government shared the pain of the affected families.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the CM on Information Shafi Khan described the incident and expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and said heavy snowfall continued in the mountainous areas since the previous day. He added that the provincial government was fully mobilized to respond to the situation.
Shafi Jan said Rescue 1122, district administration, civil defense and other relevant departments were working vigorously, adding that the provincial government shared the pain of the bereaved families. He also prayed for the deceased’s forgiveness.
