At least 10 people, including women and children, lost their lives and dozens of others were blocked while the torrential monsoon rains sparked sudden floods and landslides through Azad Jammu and cashmere (AJK), the Kaghan valley and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), confirmed officials on Thursday.
According to Express News, a devastating cloud in the outskirts of Muzaffarabad led to the death of five members of the same family, while strong floods in the Neelum Valley Ratti Gali watercourse left more than 500 tourists blocked at the base camp. About fifty others have been successfully saved by local authorities.
The rains have caused generalized damage in several areas, sweeping the bridges, cutting the road links and destroying the houses.
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The AJK Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that the Cloudburst in Jugiyan Nala from Nasirabad, Patikka Tehsil de Muzaffarabad, resulted in five family members.
At the Union Machiara Council, a woman was killed by a fall from the Rocher in Danna Dilyar, while another woman died and one was injured after being swept away in Pulandri Nala.
In the Jhelum valley, the sudden floods destroyed three stores and a flour mill in Nar Dajiyan Nala, according to SDMA officials. In the Poonch district, three people blocked in Chhatr Nala were saved safely.
In the Bagh district, nearly 400 tourists were evacuated after their vehicle was swept away by flood waters. In addition, the landslides have blocked several key arteries, including the Lohar Gali route connecting AJK to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Hattian Route Bani Hafiz in the Jhelum valley.
The route connecting the Leeppa valley via Dudhpura was made inaccessible due to landslides, as is the Hajira-Abbobspur route in the Poonch district. In the Neelum valley, heavy rains at Ratti Gali Nala have left dozens of blocked tourists; About 50 have been safely moved to Duarian Kalas, while 500 remain sheltered in the base camp where the authorities have organized free accommodation and food.
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A stranded vehicle has been recovered, but sections of the Ratti Gali road remain blocked, and two bridges connected to Nala Luwat have been swept away by flood waters.
Meanwhile, in the Tajwal region of Nathia Gali, three girls were swept away by rising waters. Two were rescued, while one was found dead.
In the GB Ghizer district, five people were swept away by sudden floods in the Khalti region. The officials said that the bodies of a woman and a child had been recovered, while research continues for the other three.
In the Ghizer district, six houses were destroyed by floods in Khalti, and a wave of water in the Chitorkhand and Dain Nalas partially obstructed the Ashkuman river, raising fears of a potential breach. As a precaution, residents of the low zones were moved to safer places.
In the Ghanche district in Baltistan, the last bridge connecting Siltoro Goma, an isolated village near the Siachen glacier, was swept away, breaking the land access. The subdivision of Mashho Broome was also threatened with floods, while in ghorse, flood waters have damaged hundreds of agricultural land and have shot down trees.
In the village of Kazmi, all the residents were moved to colonies of tents after the increase in water levels forced the authorities to evacuate the region.
Management of disaster management in the affected regions remain on alert, because more rain is provided in the upper parts of the country. Emergency intervention teams continue rescue operations, while engineers work to reopen the blocked roads and restore communication in the cut -off areas.
The officials urged the public to avoid unnecessary trips in high -risk valleys and to take into account all the warnings issued by the local authorities.
