Tourists stranded as Karakoram Highway closed after flash floods

Fresh flash floods have caused widespread destruction in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, forcing the closure of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), washing away key link roads and leaving passengers and tourists stranded.

The floods also swept away two houses along with household belongings and killed a number of livestock, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

The worst-affected areas include Thor, Niyat, Khanbari and Buner Das, where floodwaters caused extensive damage to residential areas, farmland, link roads and construction machinery.

The closure of the Karakoram Highway has also disrupted travel across the region.

According to details, torrential rain late at night triggered severe flooding at more than six locations in the Thor Valley near Chilas.

--KKH closed at Buner Das--

At Buner Das, the closure of the Karakoram Highway led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road.

Freight transport, passengers and tourists remained stranded, while electricity supplies continued to be suspended in several affected areas.

--Floodwaters in Thosarka--

At Thosarka, residential areas were surrounded by floodwaters from both sides, preventing residents from moving to safer places throughout the night.

Flood debris entered several homes, while agricultural land, standing crops and trees suffered heavy damage.

--Power outage across Thor Valley--

The floods washed away sections of the Thor link road at several points, bringing traffic to a complete halt.

Damage to electricity transmission lines also caused a power outage across the Thor Valley and nearby areas.

--Houses swept away in Darel subdivision--

Meanwhile, in Khanbari Shing Shar Nullah in the Darel subdivision, flash floods swept away two residential houses together with their contents. Several livestock were also lost in the flooding.

In addition, 13 dump trucks, one excavator, one crushing plant and two water tankers belonging to Hasnat Company, which was engaged in road construction work, were washed away by the floodwaters.

--Link roads damaged in Chilas--

In the Niyat area of Chilas, flash floods also damaged the link road at several locations, disrupting traffic and creating serious difficulties for local residents.

Residents of the affected communities have urged the government to launch immediate relief operations, restore the Karakoram Highway and damaged link roads, reinstate electricity supplies without delay and compensate families for their losses.

Reporter: Sami Ullah