ISLAMABAD: One person was killed while another was injured in a landslide near Astore in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday night, according to rescue officials.
Rescue 1122 official Wazir Asad told Dawn.com that landslides caused by intense rainfall blocked the road from Astore to Dashkan for 24 hours. “A car was hit by a landslide, killing one person and injuring another,” he confirmed.
Meanwhile, the land connection between Astore district and Gilgit was also severed by landslides. A local resident named Rafiullah told media that the road was closed due to an avalanche in Astore.
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan government, a landslide in the Upper Kohistan Achar Nallah area has cut off the land connection between Gilgit-Baltistan and Rawalpindi.
Muhammad Haroon, assistant director of the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority, issued a statement advising travellers to stay in hotels and avoid travelling due to the risk of landslides.
Earlier, the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) has issued an advisory for rain, wind, thunderstorms, and snowfall in northern and western parts of the country.It said that a westerly wave was expected to impact various regions of Pakistan.
According to the NEOC advisory, Islamabad, upper Punjab, Potohar region, central, southern and northeastern Punjab are likely to experience rain, wind, and thunderstorms with snowfall or hailstorms.Heavy rainfall may trigger flash floods in vulnerable areas, the advisory cautioned.
In Balochistan, rain, wind, and thunderstorms with snowfall over hills are anticipated in the western, northwestern, and northern parts of the province, with the possibility of flash flooding in susceptible regions.
Similarly, upper and western regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Malakand and Hazara divisions, are likely to witness rain, wind, thunderstorms, and hailstorms, along with snowfall over the hills in KP.The advisory warned that heavy rainfall in northern KP may lead to flash flooding and landslides.
In Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, rain, wind, thunderstorms, and hailstorms with snowfall over the hills are expected, which may disrupt travel and routine activities.
