Two killed, two injured in Fairy Meadows trek landslide

GILGIT: At least two labourers were killed and two others injured on Friday after being buried by a landslide while repairing the flood-damaged trek to Fairy Meadows — the base camp of Nanga Parbat in Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed the incident, saying that the death toll from recent climate-induced floods and related incidents across the region has risen to 15, including nine tourists. He said six others were injured in related disasters.

Faraq reported the Karakoram Highway (KKH) was blocked in Morkhun area of Upper Hunza due to river erosion caused by increased water flow. He added that relevant authorities were conducting restoration work. Separately, the spokesperson said that several acres of farmland in Shigar were inundated after swollen rivers breached their banks. 

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Meanwhile, a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from Shisper Glacier damaged multiple homes in Hassanabad area of Hunza. The Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) confirmed the flood eroded protective walls along the Karakoram Highway, damaging a newly constructed retaining wall and highway section. The GBDMA also reported extensive agricultural destruction—including cultivable land, standing crops, and trees—and disruption of electricity supply to Hassanabad. 

Regarding Monday’s ’s boat capsizing incident in Skardu, Faraqbsaid a search operation was underway for missing tourists. He emphasised that boat operations remain banned under Section 144 due to increased water flow in lakes. The spokesperson said that action was being taken against those who take tourists out on lakes by boat despite the ban.

On Monday, a woman was killed while her husband went missing after a rafting boat overturned in the Soq Valley of Kachura, a popular tourist destination near Skardu.