Video shows an avalanche blocking a road in Britain while people in the background can be heard screaming in panic.
Pakistan is experiencing an intense heatwave this year, with the mercury exceeding 50°C in certain regions of the country. In its weather forecast for the period May 26-31, the National Disaster Management Authority warned that rising temperatures, heatwaves, flash floods and landslides could impact several parts of the country, particularly the northern and southern regions.
He added that there was also a risk of glacial lake-induced floods (GLOF) in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, the NDMA also issued an advisory warning of an increase in potential GLOF events from March to September 2026 due to an anticipated increase in temperatures, changing weather conditions and possible first heatwaves in northern Pakistan.
Since Tuesday, a video has been circulating on X showing an avalanche blocking a road in Gilgit-Baltistan while people in the background can be heard screaming in panic, some even chanting “Allahu Akbar‘.
Many social media users shared the video, saying the footage was recent and sounded the alarm about Pakistan’s weakening glaciers. Some also used the clip to warn tourists heading north on vacation.
The video was also shared by local digital media on YouTube and Instagram, as seen here, here, here and here.
It should be noted that none of these posts mention the date the incident occurred.
A keyword search carried out to check whether national or local media had reported on recent avalanches in Britain returned no results.
A reverse image search on Google turned up a Facebook video shared by the state media outlet. Pakistani televisiondated March 13, with the caption: “An avalanche blocked a river in the Gilgit-Baltistan mountains of northern Pakistan amid snowfall as spring approaches.”
The caption ended with the hashtags #GilgitBaltistan #AvalancheAlert #NorthernPakistan #SnowfallImpact.
The video was also shared by Hunza bowla regional media network and a page that covers news from the GB region, on their Instagram account. It was dated March 13. According to the caption of the post, the incident took place in upper Hunza.
The same video was also shared by several users on X and Facebook at different times in April and May.
Jamil Nagri, Dawn correspondent in Britain, also confirmed to iVerify Pakistan that no such event had taken place recently in the region and that the video dates back to March.
During an avalanche, a mass of snow, rocks, ice, dirt and other material slides quickly down the side of a mountain.
In a report released in March, the NDMA said the incidence of avalanches is highest in Pakistan from February to April, when heavy snowfall is followed by temperature fluctuations, strong winds and additional snow load.
He further said that the expansion of infrastructure, including the Karakoram Highway, hydroelectric facilities and settlements located in narrow valleys, increases exposure to avalanche risks. Districts such as Chitral, Upper Dir, Ghizer, Hunza, Skardu, Neelum and Haveli remain particularly vulnerable.
Research shows that the frequency of avalanches in the Himalayan mountains has increased in recent years, which is called an “expected consequence” of climate change.
Conclusion
The claim that a viral video shows a recent snow avalanche in Britain is misleading.
The video is from March 2026. Additionally, according to the NDMA, the highest incidence of avalanches in Pakistan is between February and April.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan – a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
