TV anchor, husband,four children swept away in flash flood

Lahore (Team Newsbuddy): The highway in Gilgit-Baltistan was suddenly flooded on Sunday. 15 people, including a TV anchor and her family members, are feared to have been swept away by the flash flood. At the same time, displaced people of this area, who have been facing the wrath of nature for several days, have complained of a severe lack of clean drinking water, electricity, road access and communication services. Survivors in the Babusar and Thor valleys of flood-affected Diamer said that they have been hit by the deadliest flood in recent times, in which many people were left homeless and all their belongings were washed away. According to media house Don, eyewitnesses said that the flash flood suddenly increased the water on the Babusar highway and 10 to 15 tourists were swept away. So far seven bodies have been recovered.

The tourists also include a TV anchor of a private channel, her husband and their four children. Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesman Faizullah Faraq said that the family of the anchor of a Pashto language TV channel has contacted the authorities and told that she, her husband and her four children are missing. Farq said that they have found a wallet of the anchor. At the same time, the body of an unidentified woman has been recovered from the Indus River in the Minar area of ​​Chilas. The woman is believed to be among the tourists who were swept away by the floods on the Babusar Highway.

He said, “The search for the rest of the missing people is continuing with the help of search dogs and drones.” He told the media that repair work is going on using heavy machinery, the road is blocked at 15 places, and the route has been partially cleared at 13 of them. He hoped that the highway would be partially reopened to traffic by Monday. In the Gilgit region, thousands of residents of Danyor and Sultanabad areas remained without drinking water for three consecutive days after the main supply pipeline and several irrigation canals were damaged due to flash floods from the Danyor drain. At the same time, the common people are also very angry with the government’s negligence.

Speaking to reporters, elders of the region, led by former Gilgit minister Muhammad Iqbal, said the government had failed to restore the disrupted water supply despite repeated assurances. They said though residents had managed to temporarily restore the pipeline, the subsequent floods destroyed it again. They lamented that no repair work has been started yet and gave a one-day ultimatum to the government to act, else they would launch protests.

Meanwhile, residents of Kondas and Haldi in Ghanche district also complained of lack of relief materials, electricity, drinking water, and road access. The devastating landslide in Kondas swept away more than 50 houses, leaving many families homeless and in urgent need of food, shelter, medical care, and emergency services. Locals also lamented the unavailability of internet, making it even more difficult to communicate or call for help. People in Jutal and other flood-hit areas of Gilgit-Baltistan also complained of lack of basic amenities and criticised the government’s slow response and failure to provide timely relief.