At least 10 people, including women and children, lost their lives and dozen more, were stranded when the rains of the torrential monsoon caused sudden floods and landslides in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Kaghan and Gilgit-Baltist Valley (GB), the officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to Express News, a devastating cloud cloud on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad led to the death of five members of the same family, while strong floods in the Neelum Valley Ratti Gali current left 500 tourists stranded in the base camp. Around 50 others were successfully rescued by local authorities.
The rains have caused generalized damage in multiple areas, sweeping bridges, cutting the road links and destroying houses.
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AJK’s Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that Cloudburst in Jugiyan Nala de Nasirabad, Patikka Tehsil of Muzaffrabad, caused the death of five family members.
In the Council of the Machhiara Union, a woman was killed by a rock that fell in Danna Dillyar, while another woman died and one was injured after being swept in Pabl Nala.
In Jhelum Valley, sudden floods destroyed three stores and a flour mill in Nar Dajiyan Nala, according to SDMA officials. In the district of Poonch, three people stranded in Chhat Nala were rescued safely.
In the Bagh district, almost 400 tourists were evacuated after their vehicle was swept by floods. In addition, the landslides have blocked several key arteries, including the Lohar Gali road that connects AJK to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Hattian Bala road near Bani Hafiz in Jhelum Valley.
The road that connects the Leepa Valley through Dudhpura has become inaccessible due to land landslides, as well as the Hajira-Abbaspur road in the Poonch district. In the Neelum Valley, heavy rains in Ratti Gali Nala left dozens of stranded tourists; Around 50 were safely transferred to Duarian Kalas, while 500 remain protected in the base camp where the authorities have organized free accommodation and food.
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A stranded vehicle was recovered, but the Ratti Gali Road sections remain blocked, and two connection bridges in Nala Luwat were dragged by the waters of the floods.
Meanwhile, in the Nathia Gali Tajwal area, three girls were dragged by ascending waters. Two were rescued, while one was found dead.
In GB Ghizer District, five people were dragged by sudden floods in the Khalti area. The authorities said that the bodies of a woman and a child have been recovered, while the search continues for the remaining three.
In the Ghizer district, six houses were destroyed by floods in Khalti, and a wave of water in Chitockhand and Dain Nalas partially obstructed the Ashkuman River, which increased the fears of a possible violation. As a precaution, residents of low areas have moved to safer places.
In the district of Ghanche in Baltistan, the last bridge that connects rubber silk, a remote village near the Siachen glacier, was swept, separating access to the earth. The subdivision of Masho Broome has also threatened the floods, while in Ghorsey, the waters of floods damaged hundreds of agricultural lands and carved trees.
In the Kazmi village, all residents were relocated to store settlements after the increase in water levels forced the authorities to evacuate the area.
Disaster management officials in the affected regions remain on a maximum alert, since more rain is forecast in the upper parts of the country. Emergency response equipment continues rescue operations, while engineers work to reopen blocked roads and restore communication to cutting areas.
The authorities have urged the public to avoid unnecessary trips to high -risk valleys and pay attention to all warnings issued by local authorities.
