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Several tourists have been stranded in Naran Valley after heavy snowfall cut off the area from rest of the country on Sunday.

Women and children are among the tourists from across Pakistan and facing difficulties due to running out of supplies amidst continuous rain and snowfall.

Taking advantage of the situation, several hotel owners have also raised prices of food and accommodations.

Matiullah Khan, president of a local hotels association, however claimed that accommodations were being provided for free to the stranded tourists.

The fresh spell of snowfall had started yesterday afternoon, also trapping several vehicles on the roads.

Tourists complained that the local administration was nowhere to be seen and no arrangements were made to clear the roads of snow. They said they were running out of food items among other vital equipment needed in such weather.

According to the assistant commissioner Balakot, heavy machinery and personnel of the National Highway Authority (NHA) have been dispatched to reopen about 85 kilometer blocked portion of the 220-kilometer long Shahrah-e-Kaghan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also taken notice of the situation and directed the federal government to extend all possible assistance to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in this regard.

Parts of Pakistan receive fresh spell of rains, snowfall

The weather turned pleasant Sunday morning as Islamabad, Lahore, Multan and several other cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces received rainfall the previous night.

Meanwhile, the mountainous areas of Gilgit and Chitral received snowfall, sending mercury to a dip.

Different parts of Lahore and surrounding areas received light rain with thunder and lightning in some areas late Saturday, while light downpour began with the break of dawn.

According to the Met office, 3.5 millimeters of rain have so far been recorded in Multan, with temperatures falling from 32 degree Celsius to a chilly 19 degrees.

Peshawar and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been receiving heavy to light rainfall for the past few hours.

The Met office forecasts that intermittent rain and snowfall will continue throughout the day, turning the weather pleasant and announcing the start of the winter season.