GILGIT – Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in Azad Kashmir, Kaghan Valley, and Gilgit-Baltistan, killing 10 people, including women.
According to reports, a cloudburst in a suburban area of Muzaffarabad killed five members of the same family, while 50 tourists trapped in Ratti Gali Nala of Neelum Valley were rescued. However, around 500 tourists remain stranded at the base camp. Several bridges have been washed away, and roads remain blocked.
In Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer district, five people were swept away in a flood in the Khalti area. The bodies of a woman and a child have been recovered, while search operations continue for the remaining three.
The AJK Disaster Management Authority reported that a cloudburst in Jhgiyan Nala, Naseerabad, claimed the lives of five members of a single family. In UC Machhiara’s Dana Dilyar area, a woman died after being hit by a rock. Similarly, in Pulandri Nala, a woman drowned while another was injured.
In Jhelum Valley, floods in Nar Dajiyan Nala destroyed three shops and a watermill. In Poonch district, three people trapped during a flash flood in Chhatra Nala were rescued. In Bagh district, 400 tourists were rescued after their car was swept away in a nala. The Lohar Gali section of the Kashmir-KP highway remains closed due to a landslide, as does the Bani Hafiz–Hattian Bala road.
The road connecting Leepa Valley is blocked at Doda Pura due to a landslide, while the Hajira–Abbas Pur road in Poonch is closed at Berri. In Neelum Valley, around 50 tourists trapped in Ratti Gali Nala were moved to safety, while 500 others remain at the base camp with free lodging and meals provided.
A vehicle stuck in Ratti Gali Nala was recovered. Two bridges in Nala Luwat have been washed away, while in Nathia Gali’s Tajwal area, three girls drowned—two were rescued, but one died.
In Ghizer’s Khalti area, six houses were completely destroyed by floods. Five people were swept away, with two bodies recovered. Flooding in Chitorkhand and Dain Nala blocked the Ishkoman River, forcing residents of low-lying areas to evacuate.
In Baltistan’s Ghanche district, the only bridge to the last village of Saltoro Goma near Siachen was washed away, cutting off road access. The Mashabrum subdivision is also flood-hit, with hundreds of kanals of farmland and trees destroyed in Gorse. Residents of Kazmi village were evacuated to a tent settlement.
