Road reopened in Kohistan as stranded tourists leave

MANSEHRA: Tourists and other travellers stranded in the Soach area of Kaghan Valley after landslides blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road resumed their journeys to destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country after the route was reopened by the district administration on Saturday.

Balakot Assistant Commissioner Hasrat Khan said debris from nearby mountains had blocked traffic on the road, which links KP and GB through Kaghan Valley, but was removed after an extensive clearance operation. He said a number of tourists and passengers travelling within the valley and between the two regions had remained stuck in the area, prompting the administration to undertake the road-clearing effort.

Kaghan Valley, which saw a large influx of visitors during the Eid holidays, experienced traffic disruption after the landslides. Khan said officials concerned reached the site to supervise the clearance work and that measures had been put in place to help ensure safer travel for people using the road within the valley and onward between KP and GB.

He also advised tourists to remain careful while travelling through hilly stretches of Kaghan Valley and the rest of their route, and to stay away from streams, riverbanks and hollow snow glaciers.

Forest fire in Dadar

Separately, a major wildfire broke out in a dense forest in the Dadar area on Saturday, causing widespread damage to trees, flora and fauna and sending smoke across the area.

Baffa-Pakhal Assistant Commissioner Ilyas Ahmad said the blaze started in the early hours of the day for reasons that were not immediately known and continued through the day. He said personnel from several departments, along with fire tenders, were deployed and brought the fire under control after hours of effort. Rescue 1122, the tehsil municipal administration and the forest department also took part in the operation.

Ahmad said the fire spread across a large section of forest and produced thick smoke that rose high into the sky and affected air quality in populated localities. He said firefighters stopped the blaze from reaching nearby settlements and added that no loss of life was reported.

The assistant commissioner said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined. He added that the district administration had started an investigation to establish how the blaze began and that action would be taken under relevant laws if anyone was found responsible.