Flash floods cut off Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan, displacing families and stranding tourists
A severe wave of flash floods has brought life to a halt in Gilgit-Baltistan, blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and leaving thousands of travellers stranded. The disaster, triggered by heavy melting of Hunza’s Shisper Glacier, struck on Tuesday evening and intensified on Wednesday, washing away bridges, roads, and vast stretches of farmland.
Rescue 1122 said floodwaters from Juchar Nullah forced an immediate halt to KKH repair work in Gulmit Gojal, Hunza. The agency confirmed that more than 50 people narrowly escaped being swept away after a timely warning alerted them to the oncoming torrent.
Government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said rehabilitation efforts are under way but face severe challenges due to rising water levels, riverbank erosion, and frequent landslides. “Passengers and vehicles remain stranded on both sides of the KKH, but an alternative wooden bridge is being used to move some people,” he added.
In Hasanabad, Hunza, more than 15 homes have been destroyed, forcing dozens of families to evacuate. Many residents are dismantling their own houses to save usable materials. The flood has also damaged critical utilities — snapping optical fibre lines, cutting mobile and internet services, and disrupting electricity in multiple areas after transmission infrastructure near Sost was washed away.
Rescue teams report large-scale destruction, including thousands of kanals of agricultural land, fruit orchards, forest cover, three wooden bridges, five irrigation channels, and multiple link roads. A government-run tourist facilitation centre and a popular roadside restaurant have also been lost to the waters.
With no alternative routes available, heavy machinery has been deployed to restore the KKH, a critical trade and travel artery connecting Pakistan with China. Relief operations have been intensified, but officials warn that ongoing glacial melt could further complicate recovery efforts in the days ahead.