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GILGIT/LAHORE: Flash floods triggered by cloudbursts and rapid glacial melting wreaked havoc across Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday, damaging homes, roads, bridges and agricultural land, while leaving hundreds of tourists and local residents stranded in several districts.
As a result, the Karakoram Highway (KKH) was closed for traffic near Altashi Nullah in the Gini area of Chilas.
Authorities have warned that rising water levels in the Hunza, Nagar and Indus rivers, as well as other streams, posed a threat to downstream communities, with riverbank erosion reported in several areas.
Heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in various parts of the region, with Ghizer district among the worst affected where an artificial lake was created when flash floods in Mayon village blocked the Ishkoman River. According to local authorities, the artificial lake inundated Hasis village, submerging dozens of houses, agricultural land and public infrastructure.
