Man killed in landslide amid persistent road blockages in G-B

Gilgit: A man lost his life while hundreds remained stranded for the third consecutive day, as relentless heavy rain and snowfall have brought life to a grinding halt in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The severe weather conditions triggered a landslide in the Syed Alam Das locality of Daskin Astore on Sunday, resulting in a fatal accident involving two motorcycle riders caught in the landslide. According to Rescue 1122, one of the victims, identified as Shahzad, son of Ata Ullah, a resident of Daskin, lost his life in the disaster.

His body was recovered and transported to his native village of Daskin in a Rescue 1122 Astore mortuary van. The other individual, Barkat, son of Jowar, also from Daskin, miraculously survived the ordeal.

Similarly, in a related incident, a car collided with a fallen heavy boulder in the Rahimabad area of Gilgit, injuring four individuals on Sunday night. Despite the boulder having fallen on Friday due to the heavy rains, it was not removed by the National Highway Authority (NHA), leading to the accident.

According to a statement issued by the Works Department of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Works Department of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Disaster Management Authority Astore have initiated road clearance operations in the Astore Valley. The road, which has been closed to all traffic for the past two days due to heavy rain and snowfall causing avalanches and rockfalls at several places, is now seeing restoration efforts.

The statement said that heavy machinery had been deployed to remove snowdrifts, large boulders, and debris, with the road already cleared up to the Doyian Check Post.

“The operation is set to resume early Tuesday morning to minimize the duration of the closure and fully restore the road as soon as possible. Until complete restoration, travellers are advised to avoid using the Astore Valley road for their safety,” the statement added.

Faizullah Faraq, a spokesperson for the G-B Chief Minister, said the Gilgit-Chilas section of the Karakoram Highway was opened for all types of traffic on Sunday. However, the Chilas-Kohistan section of the highway was still blocked, and efforts were underway to clear the debris.

He said, regarding the situation in the Kohistan area, there are one or two blockages remaining, which are expected to be cleared by late night today or tomorrow, provided no further sliding occurs. Faraq said that the Jaglot-Skardu Road experienced multiple blockages due to landslides at several points, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded. The spokesperson said following the directives of Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, efforts to reopen the Jaglot-Skardu Road had been accelerated.