Hundreds of travelers stranded as landslide blocks Gilgit-Skardu Road

ISLAMABAD: Reports of travelers getting stuck on the Karakoram (KK) highway are increasing due to monsoon-triggered floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).

A horrible landslide occurred on the Gilgit-Skardu Road. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported due to the incident but hundreds of travelers are stranded.

Ghulam Abbas, the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) deputy director for Shangla and Kohistan in KP, told the media that the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) is clearing the Karakoram Highway at Jijal, Pattan, Uchar Nullah, and other locations. The Uchar Nallah bridge, destroyed by floods last August, has yet to be restored.

After severe rainfall, streams in Upper Kohistan’s Harban tehsil overflowed, blocking road traffic, halting pedestrian walkways, and damaging water delivery facilities, according to Asadullah Khan, chairman of Upper Kohistan’s Harban tehsil.

An officer stated that work was underway to clear the highway at Basari and Gadoon as well. The Karakoram Highway to the Harban Valley, water supply lines, and pedestrian routes were “completely washed away,” causing problems for villages, he added.

The administration is advising tourists not to travel to the said regions during monsoon season as the roads are highly prone to landslides during this time.