At least 16 tourists die in snowstorm at Pakistan resort

(CNN) – At least 16 people were killed in a snowstorm in the northeastern Pakistani resort town of Murree.

The tourists, who were stuck in a traffic jam, suffered a “food crisis” after being stranded, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said in a video statement on Saturday.

Rashid added that the government had called in the army and civilian armed forces for emergency rescue operations for “almost a thousand” vehicles that were still stranded.

Murree is a resort town northeast of the capital Islamabad.

All roads to Murree will be closed to tourists and only open to people providing aid to those still stranded, the minister added.