ISLAMABAD: A 14-day search operation to locate tourists missing following the deadly floods in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Babusar area concluded on Monday without finding any survivors.
As the search efforts wrapped up, funeral prayers for the missing tourists were held in absentia in Babusar, marking the tragic end to an intensive rescue mission.
On July 21, flash floods caused by cloudbursts and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) devastated parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, with Babusar being one of the hardest-hit areas. The floods resulted in the confirmed deaths of seven people, while 12 others were reported missing. The total death toll from the floods in the region has now reached 10.
The search operation, which was led by Diamer police, GB Scouts, Pakistan Army, and local volunteers, utilized advanced technology such as drones, sniffer dogs, and heavy machinery to sift through debris.
Despite these efforts, no trace of the missing tourists was found. Faizullah Firaq, a spokesperson for the GB government, confirmed that the operation had concluded, with no signs of life found.
“The hopes of rescuing the missing persons have unfortunately been dashed,” Firaq stated. “All vehicles have been cleared from the debris, but we were unable to locate any of the missing individuals,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a separate rescue operation in Ghizer district, five members of a family who had been stranded due to floodwaters were successfully rescued. The family had been trapped in the Gopus Khatam village since July 31 after lightning strikes and flooding washed away the only access road, isolating them from the rest of the region.
Rescue 1122 in Ghizer reported that the family was evacuated to safety by boat. The rescue operation also included the distribution of food supplies to other affected families in the region. Local officials reported severe damage to 62 houses, water and electricity systems, as well as health and education facilities in the flood-hit Ishkoman and Gopus valleys.
In addition to the rescue operation, local authorities highlighted significant infrastructure damage. Zafar Muhammad Shadamkhel, a local political leader, reported that lightning strikes had caused widespread destruction to homes, roads, and power infrastructure, leaving over 600 people without access to clean drinking water.
A glacier burst in Bagrot Valley resulted in the death of a 12-year-old boy, while his father was injured, according to local officials.
In the aftermath of the floods, the region also saw damage to agricultural infrastructure, with an irrigation channel in Ghalapan village, which serves over 50,000 trees, severely impacted.
