At least three killed in landslide, heavy rains in northern Pakistan

Floods successful Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer territory person damaged dozens of houses, amenities and blocked large highways.

A landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains has killed astatine slightest 3 radical successful bluish Pakistan, according to section officials, arsenic operations continued to rescue 15 missing people.

More than 8 vehicles were swept distant connected Monday erstwhile dense rains triggered a landslide connected a road successful Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, Abdul Hameed, Diamer’s territory constabulary officer, told the AFP quality bureau connected Tuesday. “Three dormant bodies person been recovered and much than 15 are inactive missing.”

Flash floods, collapsed buildings and electrocutions person killed 221 radical since the monsoon play arrived successful the state successful precocious June, with heavier rains than usual.

Several of the victims were tourists from different parts of Pakistan visiting the fashionable tourer destination of Gilgit-Baltistan, a state successful Pakistan-administered Kashmir renowned for its lush valleys and crystal-clear lakes.

Hameed said astatine slightest 10 vehicles were buried nether the debris. “The rescue cognition has been launched again astatine 6:00am contiguous [01:00 GMT],” helium added.

“Rescuers besides evacuated 4 injured people, 1 of whom is successful a captious condition”, said Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the provincial government, confirming 3 deaths to AFP.

“Hundreds of trapped tourists person since been brought to safety; authorities teams cleared debris and escorted them disconnected the upland road, portion section villagers provided exigency structure and assistance,” Faraq added.

Floods successful the country connected Monday person damaged 50 houses, 4 bridges, a hotel, and a school, arsenic good arsenic blocked large highways and damaged connection signals.

Elsewhere successful Pakistan

The remainder of Pakistan has not been spared, with 221 killed nationwide successful incidents related to the monsoon since June 26.

The decease toll includes “104 children and 40 women”, with much than 500 radical besides injured, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the bureau told AFP that the dense rains usually commencement aboriginal successful the monsoon season. “Such decease tolls are usually seen successful August, but this twelvemonth the interaction has been markedly different,” she said.

The nationalist meteorological work warns that the hazard of dense rainfall and perchance flash floods remains precocious successful the country’s bluish and eastbound provinces, with the hazard of floods and landslides.

In mid-June, astatine slightest 65 radical were killed and astir 300 injured wrong 24 hours erstwhile monsoon rains deed Punjab province, which borders India.

In precocious June, astatine slightest 13 tourists were swept to their deaths portion sheltering from flash floods connected a raised stream slope successful different state successful bluish Pakistan.

The rains are a regular portion of South Asia’s clime and are indispensable for harvest irrigation and replenishing h2o supplies.

However, their adverse effect has worsened successful caller years owed to accelerated municipality expansion, mediocre drainage systems, and much predominant utmost upwind events linked to clime change.

The state is inactive struggling to retrieve from the devastating floods of 2022, which affected astir a 3rd of the state and much than 33 cardinal people. About 1,700 radical were killed, and overmuch of the harvest was lost.