- The main secretary says that the majority of the incidents caused by GLOF.
- Warns the death toll can increase since several vehicles are still missing.
- More than 200 houses destroyed, the villages cut by rains.
The chief secretary of Gilgit Baltistán, to open Ahmed Mirza, said that the region has been seriously affected by a series of disasters driven by the weather in the last two weeks, with at least nine dead confirmed people, more than 200 damaged houses, and the great infrastructure were in ruins.
The region, located in northern Pakistan, has seen extreme climatic conditions, with glacial castings, heat waves and heavy rains that trigger sudden floods and landslides, land, The news reported.
When heading to a press conference on Thursday, the senior official said that the region initially faced glacial fusion and heat waves, followed by a new spell of heavy rains that caused sudden floods and landslides, particularly in Diamer and Astore districts.
“From June 10 until now, we have confirmed nine deaths, eight of which occurred in the valleys of Thak and Thor in Diamer, while a death was reported from Astore Valley,” he said.
The main secretary said that the majority of the incidents were caused by the flood floods of the glacial lakes (GLOF), an increasingly common phenomenon due to the increase in temperatures and climate change. “We are witnessing the compound impact of extreme heat and erratic rain,” he added.
He said that the floods had damaged around 200 houses, interrupted the roads and water channels, and cut several villages in the Jarmang district, where the bridges collapsed. “The 10 districts of Gilgit Baltistan have been affected in varying degrees, but Diamer is still the hardest,” he said.
According to Mirza, the Government launched immediate rescue operations in collaboration with the Pakistan army, the GB Scouts, the District Administration and the 1122 rescue, with the help of local volunteers. Varado tourists were also transferred by plane through army helicopter outings in inaccessible areas. He acknowledged that travel notices are regularly issued for high -risk areas, but said the public response remains inadequate. “People tend not to alter their travel plans until the threat becomes imminent,” he observed.
He also warned that the death toll can increase, since several vehicles are still missing, and it is feared that four or five more bodies are found during the recovery efforts in progress. The GB government continues to evaluate the full scale of damage and has pledged to restore blocked routes and provide relief to displaced families.
Meanwhile, at least six people died and five other wounds due to heavy rains throughout the country in the last 24 hours, which pushed the number of deaths in the country of the Monzonic spell to 258, according to the National Authority for Disaster Management (NDMA).
The agency reported Thursday that three of the deaths occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where five individuals were also injured. In addition, two people died in Islamabad and a person in Sindh as a result of rain -related incidents.
Among the deceased there are 89 men, 46 women and 123 children. The injured include 243 men, 170 women and 203 children, highlighting the generalized human toll caused by the current climatic emergency.
The rains have also caused extensive property and livestock damage. In the last 24 hours alone, 22 destroyed houses were reported, and 36 cattle animals perished. Since the beginning of the monsoon season, the rains have demolished a total of 1,027 houses, while 364 animals have died.
