GILGIT, Pakistan (AP) — A massive mudslide early Monday killed seven volunteers as they repaired a drainage channel damaged by flash floods in northern Pakistan, officials said, leaving three others injured.
Rescuers recovered the bodies after the mudslide hit the town of Danyor in Gilgit-Baltistan at dawn and transported the injured to a hospital, said Faizullah Faraq, a regional government spokesperson.
This came a day after a flash flood triggered by a glacial lake outburst damaged the key Karakoram Highway, which passes through Danyor, disrupting traffic and trade between Pakistan and China. Engineers and workers were deployed along with heavy machinery to start repairs, Faraq said Monday.
Meanwhile, several landslides near the damaged mountainous highway left homes damaged in Danyor and nearby areas as first responders evacuated those affected by the floods to safer areas, said Hassan Ali, a local police chief, adding that essential foods were being provided to those displaced.
Sunday’s glacial lake outburst was huge, Ali said, swelling the Hunza river and triggering flash flooding that battered crops. Authorities were still assessing the damage, he said.
The region’s Chief Minister Gulbar Khan called the seven who died “heroes who sacrificed their lives for the community” in a statement Monday.
Gilgit-Baltistan is known for its scenic glaciers that provide 75% of the country’s stored water supply, according to the region’s official website. Last month, it was hit by landslides, killing 18 tourists when flash floods swept away their vehicles.
Experts say glacial lake outburst floods occur when water dammed by a glacier is suddenly released, often because ice or debris barriers collapse. Scientists say rising temperatures linked to climate change are accelerating glacier melt in Pakistan’s northern mountains, increasing both the size and number of these lakes.
A study released last week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier because of global warming. Pakistan produces less than 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases, but research shows it suffers disproportionately from extreme weather.
In 2022, its worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
Rains and floods since June 26 have killed more than 300 people across Pakistan.
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