Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst swept through Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district on Monday, leaving at least four tourists dead, two injured, and up to 30 feared missing, according to local authorities
According to PTI, the floods were caused by sudden high-intensity rainfall events near the Babusar Top area, a popular summer destination. Eight tourist vehicles were washed away by the raging waters, according to Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan regional government. Four bodies, including that of a woman from Punjab’s Lodhran district, have been recovered, while two injured individuals were admitted to a local hospital.
“The flash flood has disrupted road access, power supply, and communication networks across parts of Diamer and Ghizer,” Faraq added, noting that hundreds of stranded tourists have been rescued with the help of local volunteers providing temporary shelter.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed said at least three tourist vehicles were swept away as floodwaters carved a path nearly seven kilometres long. In an interview with Dawn, Hameed estimated that 20 to 30 tourists from across Pakistan remain unaccounted for as rescue operations continue, hindered by ongoing mudflows and the unstable terrain.
The floods also caused damage to key roads and bridges, cutting off access to upper Hunza and threatening Pakistan’s only overland trade route with China via the Khunjerab Pass. The Babusar Highway remains blocked.
In Ghizer district, heavy rains damaged villages, destroying agricultural land, livestock holdings, and farmland irrigation systems, according to ReliefWeb. Social media footage verified by PakWeather Network showed extensive mudslides and debris flows along river valleys.
Officials from the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GB-EPA) attributed the flooding to record-high temperatures, persistent humidity, and increased glacial melt, which have created volatile atmospheric conditions prone to cloudbursts.
“We’ve had over six weeks of continuous heat and humidity. The mountains act like a funnel, amplifying destruction as the water gathers debris and triggers downstream mudslides,” said Khadim Hussain, Director of GB-EPA, as reported by PTI.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) shows that climate-induced extreme weather events in northern Pakistan have increased in both frequency and intensity over the last five years. According to the World Bank’s 2023 Climate Risk Country Profile, Pakistan ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, with Gilgit-Baltistan flagged as a high-risk zone due to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and intense monsoonal surges.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue across the affected districts, Pakistan Army units, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) teams, and local disaster response volunteers are working jointly to locate missing persons and clear blocked routes.
The flash floods are the latest in a series of climate disasters that have battered Pakistan since the historic 2022 floods, which displaced over 33 million people. Experts warn that climate inaction, inadequate infrastructure, and unplanned tourism in ecologically fragile zones like Babusar, Hunza, and Skardu are intensifying the human and economic toll of extreme weather events.
Environmental analysts stress the urgent need for a regional early warning system, better disaster preparedness, and sustainable tourism policies in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to over 5,000 glaciers, making it the largest concentration outside the polar zones.
