Muzaffarabad [PoK]: A 12-year-old girl was found alive by rescue officials on Wednesday after being buried under snow for 18 hours in an avalanche in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK) that engulfed her family house. Samina Bibi recalled screaming and shouting for help as she lay trapped in a room under the snow, according to Al Jazeera. "I thought I would die there," she said from a hospital bed in Muzaffarabad, where dozens of injured, including her, were receiving treatment after being airlifted out of the avalanche area.

A combination of heavy snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures since Sunday left at least 76 people dead in the region. The worst affected area was Neelum Valley, where the 21 bodies were retrieved, said Ahmad Raza Qadri, a minister for disaster management. Meanwhile, Samina's mother, Shahnaz Bibi, who lost a son and another daughter, the rescue was nothing short of a miracle. After being pulled out of the snow earlier, Shahnaz said she and her brother, Irshad Ahmad, had given up hope of finding Samina alive.