Flash floods claim 6 lives in Gilgit-Baltistan, search for missing tourists underway

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 25 (ANI): The death toll from flash floods in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB)'s Diamer district rose to six on Thursday, with the search for missing visitors still underway following days of torrential rains, Dawn reported.
Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq told Dawn that rescue teams recovered another body in Babusar valley, bringing the total fatalities to six. "The search operation to locate the remaining tourists at Babusar is underway," he said.
The cloudburst-induced flash floods have laid bare the intensifying effects of climate change across the mountainous region. According to Dawn, four people were killed and 15 others went missing on Monday, with the overall death toll rising to five by Tuesday.
Rescue 1122 told Dawn that various areas in Ghanche district experienced flooding. Flash floods in Kandos village damaged around a dozen houses, a dispensary, mosques, agricultural land and crops. In Sikarkoi, floods damaged several homes and infrastructure in Dass Mohallah and surrounding areas in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit.
In a separate incident, rescue teams recovered the body of retired Colonel Ishaq Qazi, aged between 62 and 64 years, who went missing in Rawalpindi after his car was swept into a drain during flash floods last week. His daughter, 25, remains missing, according to rescue officials cited by Dawn.
District Emergency Officer (DEO) Sibghatullah told Dawn, "The body of Ishaq had been found near the Soan River bridge, while rescue operations are underway to look for his daughter."
He earlier said that rescue operations had entered a third day and that some parts of their car had been recovered. "Rescue 1122 found the bonnet and a door of the car under the Soan River bridge," he added.
A statement issued by Islamabad's Sihala police station on Tuesday said the two were in a grey Honda vehicle and were residents of Defence Housing Authority's Phase 5. "Due to heavy rainwater accumulation on a nearby road, their vehicle stalled. While Colonel Ishaq attempted to restart the car, the flow of water intensified, and both individuals were swept away by the rainwater drain," the statement read.
According to Dawn, Pakistan experiences annual monsoon rains from June to September, often leading to deadly floods, landslides, and displacement, especially in vulnerable or densely populated regions.
Last week, over 60 people were killed in Punjab in a 24-hour period as heavy rains wreaked havoc across the province, prompting the imposition of Section 144 and the declaration of emergencies in multiple districts.
In Rawalpindi, residents of a housing society blocked Grand Trunk Road after a 17-year-old boy drowned in a nearby nullah and rescue teams failed to recover his body. Dawn reported that the teenager was swept away by strong currents while walking on a small passage.
Two of his relatives jumped into the water to save him but were unsuccessful. They told Dawn.com that the torrent was too strong. Residents later staged a protest, accusing Rescue 1122 of "inaction and incapacity" after hours of failed efforts to retrieve the body.
Meanwhile, in Punjab's Attock district, Rescue 1122 successfully evacuated 40 people trapped in a canal in Shinka due to a high water level in the Indus River.
"According to details, 40 people were trapped in a canal due to high water level in the Indus River at Shinka in Hazro Tehsil," Rescue 1122 said in a statement. "All people were safely evacuated in a rescue operation that lasted for five hours," it added, noting the teams were deployed under the supervision of DEO Ali Hussain. (ANI)