Skip to main content

Passengers left stranded as parts of Karakoram Highway in KP closed off after heavy rainfall

A large number of travellers were left stranded on Friday morning after the main Karakoram Highway and connected roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were cut off after a spell of heavy rainfall. Heavy monsoon rains, coupled with strong winds, lashed across areas such as Shangla’s Bisham tehsil and Hazara’s Kohistan, Battagram, and Torghar districts. The rains caused streams and rivers to overflow, bringing rubble along with them. This led to blockades and road closures, cutting off the route to Gilgit Baltistan. Bisham Station House Officer Bakht Zahir told Dawn.com that the Karakoram Highway was obstructed at over 30 points, and passengers were stuck on both tracks of the highway, particularly tourists travelling for GB and other northern areas. He said the relevant authority is being engaged to clear the road on at least one side so that motorists can make it across. Zahid Khan, a passenger stuck in the Shang River side told Dawn.com that he was travelling to Bisham from Mansehra with his family and got stranded there. He added that he was waiting for the road to open for traffic. Khan said they took the risk to cross over some rubble resulting in damage to their vehicle, which would have to be towed away. Ghulam Abbas, the deputy director for the National Highway Authority for Shangla and Kohistan, confirmed the road blockades as well and said their contractor Frontier Works Organisation was clearing the road for “one-side traffic initially”. He said the Karakoram Highway was blocked at various identified locations — locations numbered 211, 213, 215, 267 and 283 — and that the rest were minor obstructions from where the rubble would be removed once it has been from the major blockades. Abbas further said the road between Dandai and Kohistan of Shangla and Kohistan areas was blocked adding that most slides were shut off in the Bisham tehsil of Shangla. Abdullah, a local resident of Landai Jai Bisham, said their link road was completely cut off at several points, suspending road communication to their area. He said the residents there wanted the authorities to clear the road as soon as possible. Official reports about house damage and any possible casualties were yet to be received due to the Eid holidays. A few days ago, three people were killed and eight others were injured in rain-related incidents in different parts of KP. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted windstorms, thunderstorms and rain in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan, Shangla, Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Orakzai, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, and North and South Waziristan districts.
http://dlvr.it/SrVwPQ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Student council oath-taking ceremony

Islamabad:The Millennium College hosted a Student Council Investiture Ceremony 2019 at its Flagship Campus, I-9/3, says a press release.The student council comprising of AS & A Level, IBDP program and IGCSE’s vowed under oath that they will be active and responsible members of the student executive council and will abide by the laws made by the college and the managing body to guarantee themselves and the student body a better campus life.Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi graced the occasion and inducted the School’s Head Boy Sarosh Atif and Head Girl Qirrat Ali as well as the Executive Council Members of all clubs and societies established within the school system. After administering the oath, Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi along with the Founder & Chairman The Millennium Education Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq, Director International Qualifications Azra Tahir and Principal of Millennium College, Campus I-9/3, Muneeze Muzzafar awarded sashes, badges and certificates to the members of the co...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pragmatic steps taken to implement Axle Load Control regime on NH&MP

Islamabad: Ministry of Communications has taken pragmatic steps to implement the Axle Load Control regime on Motorways & National Highways in the country. Sole objective of this move is to control travelling of overloaded vehicles which lead to fatal accidents besides damaging the national asset of road network of billions of rupees.Prior to implementation of axle load control regime, a technical committee was formed, consisting of officers from Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority which remained in constant contacts with transport community, Members of the Chambers of Commerce and stakeholders hailing from all the provinces. This technical committee visited their offices and held detailed discussions in series of meetings and took them into confidence to facilitate implementation of Axle Load Control regime. The stakeholders assured of their full cooperation and subsequently, implementation of Axle Load Control was realized which is in progress.It is worth to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

UN awards 2 Pakistani female peacekeepers for gender advocacy

The United Nations has awarded two Pakistani female peacekeepers with the Gender Advocacy Award for their “outstanding performance”, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ISPR said the awards were presented to Major Sania Safdar, part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus, and Major Komal Masood, who served in the Central African Republic, “for their outstanding performance and commitment in promoting the ideals of UN”. The accolades were presented by the under-secretary general in the UN’s Department for Peace Operations at its New York headquarters. “While serving in [an] international environment, both officers demonstrated exceptional professionalism [and] dedication,” the ISPR noted. It added that the two peacekeepers “made [a] significant contribution to Mission’s Peace and Stability efforts, especially with regards to advancing women’s meaningful participation in Peacekeeping Operations within the ...
Post a Comment
Read more