Fresh flash floods have caused widespread destruction in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, forcing the closure of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), washing away key link roads and leaving passengers and tourists stranded.
The floods also swept away two houses along with household belongings and killed a number of livestock.
The worst-affected areas include Thor, Niyat, Khanbari and Buner Das, where floodwaters caused extensive damage to residential areas, farmland, link roads and construction machinery. The closure of the Karakoram Highway has also disrupted travel across the region.
According to details, torrential rain late at night triggered severe flooding at more than six locations in the Thor Valley near Chilas.
At Buner Das, the closure of the Karakoram Highway led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road. Freight transport, passengers and tourists remained stranded, while electricity supplies continued to be suspended in several affected areas.
At Thosarka, residential areas were surrounded by floodwaters from both sides, preventing residents from moving to safer places throughout the night. Flood debris entered several homes, while agricultural land, standing crops and trees suffered heavy damage.
The floods washed away sections of the Thor link road at several points, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
Damage to electricity transmission lines also caused a power outage across the Thor Valley and nearby areas.
Meanwhile, in Khanbari Shing Shar Nullah in the Darel subdivision, flash floods swept away two residential houses together with their contents. Several livestock were also lost in the flooding.
In addition, 13 dump trucks, one excavator, one crushing plant and two water tankers belonging to Hasnat Company, which was engaged in road construction work, were washed away by the floodwaters.
District Police Officer (DPO) Murree, Dr Raza Tanveer, has issued a comprehensive traffic advisory for tourists visiting from across the country, informing them that extensive road carpeting and repair work is currently underway on the Old GT Road.
Both local residents and tourists are strongly advised to avoid travelling via the Old GT Road and instead use the Murree Expressway and other alternative link roads to avoid construction-related delays and traffic congestion.
In a special video message, DPO emphasized that the Murree Expressway currently stands as the only safe and recommended route to enter the district. He said that the sudden influx of nationwide traffic has shifted entirely to this single highway. He noted that Murree Police have deployed personnel and prioritized traffic management on three key link roads Bustan Mor, Masiari Link Road, and Jhika Gali Road, to facilitate smooth access to central and tourist areas of the city while easing temporary pressure on the Expressway.
The DPO appealed to families and citizens travelling from far-flung districts to actively monitor live traffic indicators via Google Maps before and during their journey. Furthermore, he urged travelers to download the official Murree Police mobile application, ‘Safe Tourism Murree’, which provides real-time, one-click updates regarding traffic status, weather updates, parking capacity, and emergency assistance.