Thousands stranded in PoK's Gilgit Baltistan due to rain-triggered landslides

Islamabad: Thousands of people including foreign tourists remained stranded at multiple locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan region due to roadblocks caused by rain-triggered landslides, according to a media report.

Mobile and internet services across the region were also disrupted after fibre optic cables were damaged in several areas, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Regional government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said that the strategic Karakoram Highway (KKH) was blocked in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Thousands of passengers, including tourists, travelling to and from the region are stranded on both sides of the highway.

Faraq said that while KKH has been reopened for traffic within Gilgit Baltistan, restoration work is underway in Kohistan.

The Babusar Pass Road is also blocked at several locations. Torrential rains had triggered flash floods and landslides in a 7-8 km radius around Babusar Top in the Naran valley.

Faraq assured that all tourists stranded on the Babusar route have been safely evacuated and search operations for missing individuals are underway.

The mobile and internet communication systems in the region were severely damaged, leaving the majority of residents without service for up to six hours on Wednesday. The region’s communication system relies on an optical fibre cable connecting Gilgit Baltistan with Rawalpindi.

According to the Special Communications Organisation (SCO), recent flash floods in Babusar Valley caused significant damage to the main optical fibre cable. Emergency alternative satellite arrangements were made, but consumers faced slow mobile and internet connectivity.

Faraq said that work has begun to restore the communication system.

River erosion also caused the collapse of the Hotu suspension bridge in Shigar, cutting off the only access to the K2 base camp. A large number of foreign expedition members and trekkers were stranded, while eight villages were also cut off.

Stranded tourists are expected to receive airlifts free of charge on Thursday in an operation overseen by Gilgit’s additional deputy commissioner.

Gilgit Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has said that the operations will continue until all stranded people in Babusar are rescued.

He also declared the flood-affected areas of Thaki, Niyat, Khunra and Thor in Diamer as disaster zones, and announced that the families of those who died in the floods at Babusar will receive compensation under the government policy.

Khan ordered urgent measures to restore drinking water, electricity, irrigation channels and road communications in the flood-affected areas of Thor.