Over 200 trapped tourists have been rescued in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer after flash floods triggered by heavy rain swept through the district, the local government spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a landslide alert for various areas in GB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
A day ago, at least four tourists were killed, two others injured, and 15 went missing due to the floods in Diamer’s Babusar area. The devastating impacts of climate change have become more visible in GB as cloudburst-induced floods wreaked havoc across the region.
Government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said in a statement, “More than 200 rescued tourists have been shifted to Chilas and provided shelter in hotels and guest houses.”
He added that the tourists were now able to contact their families after being stranded for hours.
The death toll since yesterday currently stands at five, according to Diamer District Commissioner Attaullah Kakar.
Kakar detailed that rescue operations were still underway to look for missing tourists, while four of the five deceased have been identified. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed, 20 to 30 tourists from different parts of the country might be missing.
“The military is participating in the rescue operation and evacuating tourists to safer places,” he said in a statement.
