In response to the devastating rains and landslides across Gilgit-Baltistan and northern Pakistan, the Pakistan Army has launched an extensive rescue and relief operation. The calamity has left multiple people dead, thousands of tourists stranded, and widespread infrastructure damage.
Army engineering units worked overnight to clear vital roads, including the Skardu-Deosai route and access to the Sadpara Mountaineering School and village. Using heavy machinery, they reopened key passages blocked by landslides, enabling evacuation of affected civilians and tourists. In addition, army helicopters air-dropped food supplies to nearly 400 stranded individuals in Skardu. The military’s swift action has been widely praised by locals and visitors.
The region continues to face challenges due to ongoing cloudbursts and heavy rains, which have triggered additional landslides and flash floods. The Karakoram Highway remains closed, while roads in Skardu, Deosai, and Babusar Top are also inaccessible.
One tragic incident at Babusar Top saw a tourist vehicle buried in a landslide, killing three people and leaving others missing. In Chilas, three individuals, including a woman, were swept away by floodwaters. According to the NDMA, at least 15 segments of the Babusar Top road are currently blocked.
Elsewhere, three brothers in Swat’s Madyan tehsil died when a landslide collapsed their home, seriously injuring their mother. In Malam Jabba, a young boy drowned while a one-year-old remains missing due to floods. In Haripur’s Khanpur tehsil, a vital bridge was washed away, cutting off several villages.
Azad Kashmir’s Neelum Valley was also hit hard, with flash floods destroying homes, shops, and a power station. Overflow from Janwai Nullah submerged a bridge, prompting emergency evacuation orders.
Relief efforts remain ongoing, with military and civil authorities urging the public to avoid travel to affected regions and adhere to safety advisories.
Read more: GB Floods: Homes Destroyed, Tourists Reported Missing
