ISLAMABAD (ANN/DAWN) – Passengers commuting between Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad were stuck on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on Wednesday due to heavy rains triggering landslides that obstructed the main road at multiple locations in Kohistan.
Snowfall and rain continue across the northern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan and have paralysed life in the area. Various parts of Swat, Dir Upper, Chitral, Shangla, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan, Abbottabad received heavy snowfall while Hunza, Skardu, Ghizar, Diamer and almost all GB districts were covered with a snow blanket as it continued to fall for the third consecutive day which also dropped mercury in the region.
Raja Ashfaq Tahir, spokesperson to Diamer police, informed Dawn.com that the KKH was blocked at two different points between Dasu and Diamer with passengers stranded on both sides as work to reopen the road continued.
In Dasu, Upper Kohistan Additional Deputy Commissioner Khuram Rehman Jadoon told Dawn.com that he took action against a hotel owner for overcharging stranded passengers on the KKH who reported the issue to the authorities.
ADC Khuram Rehman informed the stranded passengers about the road blockade and assured that the Kohistan administration would be on call if they needed any help.
He cautioned hotel owners that exploiting stranded travelers would be unacceptable and immediate legal measures would be pursued in those cases.
Rehman stated that efforts to clear the road were underway, but ongoing rain hindered the debris clearance, however, it was expected the road would open by night. He mentioned that more than 200 families were accommodated in the Dasu Rural Health Centre.
Tahir told Dawn.com that a landslide occurred in Diamer’s Hodar area, once again obstructing the KKH in the district. He said machinery had been relocated to the site for clearing debris to reopen the affected section of the KKH.
Shangla Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Fawad Khan released a notice for passengers, stating that heavy snowfall led to a section of the Bisham-Swat Road collapsing, resulting in a vegetable supplier vehicle falling down and injuring the driver.
He advised the public to avoid traveling on the road.
