ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army and Gilgit-Biltistan scouts launched a rescue operation for tourists and travellers who were stranded due to the recent flooding in Babusar and at Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Biltistan area.
Tourists and travellers have been safely evacuated to secure locations through Army helicopters.
So far, fifteen helicopter sorties have been conducted to transport people to safety. Pakistan Army and Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts teams are delivering food and essential supplies to the affected individuals.
Immediate medical aid is also being provided to the injured. Road clearance efforts are ongoing, with machinery and personnel continuously working to restore routes.
Obstructions on Babusar and Karakoram Highway are being removed. Search and rescue teams have been dispatched to locate missing persons.
Pakistan Army has also conducted a rescue operation on Skardu-Deosai Road hit by landslides at various locations.
After tireless efforts throughout the night, Pakistan Army’s engineering teams, using heavy machinery, have completely cleared the road from Skardu to Sadpara Mountaineering School and from Deosai to Sadpara village.
All blocked routes have been reopened and the stranded individuals and vehicles have been safely evacuated. Traffic has resumed and is now flowing smoothly.
Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains may generate flash floods in local streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Hill torrents of D.G Khan, Northeast Punjab and Kashmir.
PMD said that heavy downpour may cause urban flood in low lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Okara, Nowshera and Peshawar.
It said landslides/mudslides may cause roads closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
