Five confirmed casualties have been reported after a landslide in Skardu hit a vehicle carrying people on Sunday afternoon, the police reported.
“The ill-fated vehicle was travelling from Skardu to Shangus when it was suddenly buried under a massive amount of falling debris,” rescue officials said.
The deceased hailed from Shengus village, the police said.
According to the police, the vehicle was completely swept away due to the landslide, leaving the passengers with no chance of escaping. A rescue team was immediately dispatched to the scene to launch a search and rescue operation.
Landsliding in Pakisan
Earlier this year, thousands of people were stranded on the Karakoram Highway after it was blocked at various points due to landslides triggered by a spell of heavy ran and snow.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. This year, it recorded its wettest April since 1961, with 59.3 mm of rainfall, causing at least 144 deaths from thunderstorms, house collapses, and landslides, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In June, a UN official had warned that around 200,000 people could be affected by the upcoming monsoon, expected to bring heavier rains.
In 2022, heavy rains caused flash floods, killing over 1,700 people, causing $30 billion in damages, and affecting 30 million people.
