GILGIT – More than 50 workers narrowly escaped disaster after severe flooding from the Hunza River caused widespread destruction in the Gulmit and Gojal areas, according to Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq. He confirmed that massive landslides struck the Shahrah-e-Resham (Karakoram Highway), prompting local authorities to intensify relief efforts.
Floodwaters have also inundated parts of Baltistan’s Shigar region, damaging farmland and uprooting trees. “The Shahrah-e-Resham remains blocked at Hunza, leaving passengers stranded, but restoration work will begin soon,” Firaq said, adding that the region is enduring one of its worst flooding disasters in recent memory.
The crisis escalated after the Shispar Glacial Lake burst, triggering severe land erosion and forcing evacuations from several areas. In Hassanabad village, dozens of homes were damaged and vast tracts of land submerged, crippling infrastructure and creating urgent humanitarian needs.
In a separate incident, a landslide during repairs on the Fairy Meadows track in Gilgit killed two workers and injured two others. According to the government spokesperson, the recent flooding has claimed at least 15 lives, underscoring how climate change-driven glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) continue to devastate Gilgit-Baltistan — sweeping away sections of the Karakoram Highway and destroying both public and private property.
