ISLAMABAD: A glacier burst damaged more than 100 houses in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, a regional government spokesman said on Friday, with relief efforts underway in affected areas.
A glacier burst, also known as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), is a sudden release of water from a glacial lake, caused by the accelerated melting of glaciers due to rising global temperatures.
The GLOF event occurred at around 3am on Friday in Rowshan and Talidas areas of Ghizer district in GB, home to thousands of glaciers and five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
Faizullah Faraq, a GB government spokesman, said the glacier burst has created a lake spanning an area of 8 kilometers and damaged multiple villages in the district.
“One kilometer of road stretch was damaged in the flooding. The main road of Ghizer is closed,” Faraq told Arab News. “Over 100 houses were damaged and huge financial losses occurred, but local population was rescued by volunteers with the help of GB government and Pakistan Army.”
