6 killed in GB flash floods as search for missing tourists continues: official

GILGIT-BALTISTAN/RAWALPINDI – Torrential rains and flash floods have wreaked havoc across various regions of Pakistan, leading to multiple fatalities and extensive damage to infrastructure. At least six tourists were confirmed dead in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, with search and rescue operations underway for missing individuals, officials confirmed on Thursday.

GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq stated that the body of another tourist was recovered in the Babusar Valley, bringing the death toll to six. Flash floods, triggered by intense cloudbursts, have severely impacted the region, particularly Ghanche district where homes, mosques, dispensaries, and farmland were washed away.

In Rawalpindi, rescue teams recovered the body of Retired Colonel Ishaq Qazi, whose vehicle was swept into a drain amid urban flooding. His 25-year-old daughter remains missing. The tragic incident occurred as their car stalled due to rising water levels and was swept away by the current.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 17-year-old boy drowned while crossing a flooded nullah in Rawalpindi’s Metro City Housing Society. Local residents protested by blocking the GT Road, accusing authorities of negligence and failure to recover the victim’s body despite hours of effort.

Pakistan, currently in its monsoon season, is grappling with deadly floods that have claimed over 60 lives in Punjab alone in just 24 hours, prompting the imposition of Section 144 and emergency declarations in several districts.