Pakistan mudslide kills 7 volunteer ‘heroes’ in flood-damaged north
The mudslide and flash floods were caused by a glacial lake outburst, which is becoming more frequent due to rising temperatures and climate change
Rescuers recovered the bodies after the mudslide hit the town of Danyor in Gilgit-Baltistan at dawn and transported the injured to a hospital, said Faizullah Faraq, a regional government spokesperson.
This came a day after a flash flood triggered by a glacial lake outburst damaged the key Karakoram Highway, which passes through Danyor, disrupting traffic and trade between Pakistan and China. Engineers and workers were deployed along with heavy machinery to start repairs, Faraq said on Monday.
Meanwhile, several landslides near the damaged mountainous highway left homes damaged in Danyor and nearby areas as first responders evacuated those affected by the floods to safer areas, said Hassan Ali, a local police chief, adding that essential food was being provided to those displaced.
Sunday’s glacial lake outburst was huge, Ali said, swelling the Hunza river and triggering flash flooding that battered crops. Authorities were still assessing the damage, he said.
The region’s Chief Minister Gulbar Khan called the seven who died “heroes who sacrificed their lives for the community” in a statement on Monday.