At least 10 people, including women and children, lost their lives and dozens more were left stranded as torrential monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Kaghan Valley, and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to Express News, a devastating cloudburst in the outskirts of Muzaffarabad led to the deaths of five members of the same family, while heavy flooding in Neelum Valley’s Ratti Gali stream left over 500 tourists stranded at the base camp. Around 50 others were successfully rescued by local authorities.
The rains have caused widespread damage in multiple areas, sweeping away bridges, cutting off road links, and destroying homes.
Also Read: Explainer: Is Pakistan celebrating its 78th or 79th Independence Day?
The AJK Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that the cloudburst in Jugiyan Nala of Nasirabad, Muzaffarabad’s Patikka tehsil, led to the deaths of five family members.
In Union Council Machhiara, a woman was killed by a falling rock in Danna Dilyar, while another woman died and one was injured after being swept away in Pulandri Nala.
In Jhelum Valley, flash floods destroyed three shops and a flour mill in Nar Dajiyan Nala, according to SDMA officials. In Poonch district, three individuals stranded in Chhatr Nala were rescued safely.
In Bagh district, nearly 400 tourists were evacuated after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. In addition, landslides have blocked several key arteries including the Lohar Gali road connecting AJK to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Hattian Bala road near Bani Hafiz in Jhelum Valley.
The road connecting Leepa Valley via Dudhpura has been rendered inaccessible due to landslides, as has the Hajira-Abbaspur road in Poonch district. In Neelum Valley, heavy rains in Ratti Gali Nala left dozens of tourists stranded; around 50 were safely moved to Duarian Kalas, while 500 remain sheltered at the base camp where authorities have arranged free accommodation and food.
Read: At least four cops martyred, seven injured in multiple militant attacks in K-P
One stranded vehicle was recovered, but sections of the Ratti Gali road remain blocked, and two connecting bridges in Nala Luwat were washed away by floodwaters.
Meanwhile, in Nathia Gali’s Tajwal area, three girls were swept away by rising waters. Two were rescued, while one was found dead.
In G-B Ghizer district, five people were swept away by flash floods in the Khalti area. Officials said the bodies of a woman and a child have been recovered, while the search continues for the remaining three.
In Ghizer district, six homes were destroyed by flooding in Khalti, and a surge of water in the Chitorkhand and Dain Nalas partially obstructed the Ashkuman River, raising fears of a potential breach. As a precaution, residents of low-lying areas have been shifted to safer locations.
In Ghanche district of Baltistan, the last bridge connecting Siltoro Goma, a remote village near the Siachen glacier, was swept away, severing land access. Masho Broome subdivision has also come under threat from flooding, while in Ghorsey, floodwaters damaged hundreds of kanals of agricultural land and felled trees.
In Kazmi village, all residents were relocated to tent settlements after rising water levels forced authorities to evacuate the area.
Disaster management officials across affected regions remain on high alert, as more rain is forecast in upper parts of the country. Emergency response teams continue rescue operations, while engineers work to reopen blocked roads and restore communication to cut-off areas.
Officials have urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel to high-risk valleys and heed all warnings issued by local authorities.
