Dhaka, Jan. 24 -- At least nine members of a family have been killed after an avalanche buried their house in Chitral, as heavy snowfall has brought daily life to a halt across northern parts of Pakistan.

The avalanche struck the house in Serigal village at Damil on Friday afternoon, Dawn reported.

Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Hashim Azim said the bodies were recovered from the debris, while a 9-year-old boy survived and was rushed to hospital.

Officials said the avalanche followed more than 20 inches of snowfall, with a huge mass of snow sliding down from a nearby pasture onto the isolated house in the sparsely populated mountainous village.

The newspaper said snowfall continued uninterrupted for over 36 hours across the Chitral...