CHITRAL: A number of villages situated at the foothold of Hindukush mountain range forming the Upper Chitral district and Lot Koh valley of Lower Chitral received snowfall here on Wednesday.

Five to seven inches of snow fell in villages of Shagrom Terich, Rech, Khot, Melp, Oveer, Yarkhoon, Laspur valley and Baroghil in Upper Chitral, and Begusht, Sha Arkari and Gobor in Lower Chitral.

The snowfall dropped the mercury considerably and people were seen wearing warm clothes.

Haji Sharbat Khan, a former councillor from Shagrom Terich, told Dawn on telephone that the valley was in the grip of severe cold after the snowfall confining the residents indoors.

He said the snowfall in lower altitude Chitral villages had last time occurred in late 1960s, and it will prove ruinous both for the cereal crops and fruits in the area.

The snowfall halted vehicular traffic to the valleys of Terich, Oveer, Melp and Rech.