KHAPLU: At least nine people were killed and around 25 others injured after an avalanche hit Shounter Top area in the Astore district in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region on Saturday, officials said.
At a height of 14,500 feet above the sea level, the Shounter Top mountain pass connects the Astore district to Azad Kashmir. The area is mostly inhabited by nomads, called ‘bakarwal,’ who bring their cattle from Punjab to the mountainous north every summer because of its lush green pastures.
“It was raining in the area at night and snow was also falling. The nomads were on the way to Astore from Punjab via Azad Kashmir, when the incident took place,” Muhammad Shireen, a senior police official in Astore, told Arab News.
“They were hit by a snow avalanche and as a result, nine were killed and almost 25 injured. Among the deceased, six were men and three were women.”
Local volunteers had so far retrieved six bodies, according to the official.
“We have moved police, Rescue 1122 and officials of the district administration to the spot, while Pakistan Army troops are also assisting in the rescue mission,” he said. “The victims hailed from Punjab’s Chakwal district.”
Shortly after the incident, authorities imposed an emergency at the Astore district headquarter hospital.
“An emergency has been declared in DHQ Hospital Astore. The doctors and staffs are on alert,” Dr. Mubashir Hassan, health director for the Astore-Diamer division, told Arab News.
“The rescue operation is underway and the district health officer is also on the spot.”
Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five out of 14 world peaks above the height of 8,000 meters and more than 7,000 glaciers. The scenic region often witnesses avalanches, landslides and glacial lake outbursts.
In 2012, 129 Pakistan Army soldiers and 11 civilians were buried after a massive avalanche hit their camp in Gayari area, some 300km northeast of GB’s Skardu district.
The GB chief minister has directed authorities to provide all-possible assistance to the injured persons, Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Wani told Arab News.
“The home secretary and Diamer commissioner and deputy inspector general have been asked to immediately reach Astore to establish a control room and base station for the search and rescue operation,” Wani said.
“Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid will also visit the area soon,” he added.
