Heavy rain leaves one dead, several injured in Lower Kohistan

MANSEHRA: Persistent rain caused widespread disruption in Lower Kohistan, where one man died, several people were injured and two vehicles carrying tourists were swept away by floodwater, according to police.

District Police Officer Zafar Ahmad Khan said a driver trapped in a mudslide died after suffering cardiac arrest, while several others were hurt in rain-related incidents. He also said that eight to 10 tourists, including women and children, remained safe after muddy water and rocks rushing down from nearby mountains onto the Karakoram Highway carried away their vehicles.

“A driver trapped in mudslide died of cardiac arrest due to fear, several others were injured in rain-related incident while eight to 10 tourists, including women and children, remained safe after muddy and rocky floodwater flowing down to Karakoram Highway from nearby mountains swept away their vehicles, as police rescued them swiftly,” DPO Zafar Ahmad Khan told journalists.

Heavy rain continued intermittently in the upper parts of Hazara division for a second straight day. Police said truck driver Gul Badshah died of cardiac arrest after his vehicle was struck by a landslide on the Karakoram Highway in the Dubair area.

Several people were also critically injured when boulders broke off from mountains along the roadside and hit them in Lower Kohistan. In a separate incident, two vehicles carrying tourists from Punjab, who were returning from Gilgit-Baltistan, were overtaken by floodwater mixed with mud and large stones. The tourists, including women and children, were not injured, though their vehicles were damaged. Police personnel already working in landslide-affected areas rescued them and moved them to safety.

In the Firozabad Jigal area, electric poles were uprooted, leaving several people injured. In Dubair, four shops were damaged after being struck by a heavy landslide. Police said shopkeepers and customers managed to run out before the slide hit.

Highway blocked again after partial clearance

Officials said some of the passengers stranded in Lower Kohistan after landslides at three points on Monday were able to resume travel towards Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country. However, fresh flows of muddy water and boulders again spilled onto the Karakoram Highway, blocking the road. “Continuous rains and floods hampered our rescue and KKH clearance activities. We had cleared all the blocked points, and stranded passengers had started leaving for their respective destinations,” the DPO said.

He said that although around half of the stranded passengers had departed, the highway was blocked again at China Bridge, Saplo Mor, Glozbanda, Shahtan Pari Gijal and Khatar Nullah.

Action launched against illegal saw machines

Separately, the district administration said it had started a campaign against deforestation and timber smuggling in Kaghan Valley and other parts of Balakot tehsil. During the operation, four illegally operating saw machines were demolished. “The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has ordered strict action against deforestation and timber smuggling, which are damaging the environment,” Hasrat Khan, assistant commissioner of Balakot, told journalists.

A team made up of forest and police officials carried out surprise inspections in Kaghan Valley and other parts of Balakot tehsil. Officials said they seized a large quantity of timber allegedly cut illegally for transport to other parts of the country. The team checked saw machines in the Paras and Nori areas of Kaghan and shut down four that were operating without legal permission.

Owners of licensed saw machines were also warned to comply with the law and avoid any activity that could support deforestation or timber smuggling. The assistant commissioner of Baffa-Pakhal, Faraz Qureshi, also began action against saw machines allegedly linked to such activity.