ISLAMABAD: At least three tourists have died and 15 others are missing after flash floods, triggered by torrential monsoon rains, swept through the Babusar area of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district on Monday.
Monsoon rains, which occur annually from June to September, continue to batter various parts of the country, prompting authorities to issue urban flooding alerts for several cities.
Faizullah Firaq, spokesperson for the GB government, said that three bodies were recovered from flood debris, while four injured people were shifted to a hospital in Chilas.
“Fifteen other tourists have gone missing, as eight tourist vehicles were washed away in the raging flood,” Firaq said in a statement. “Medical assistance for the injured is ongoing, with one individual in critical condition.”
The spokesperson stated that a fiber optic break had disrupted communication systems, leaving thousands of tourists stranded and unable to contact their families.
“The government has successfully rescued hundreds of stranded tourists on Babusar Highway, and many have sought shelter with local residents,” Firaq said.
“The GB chief minister has ordered that all available resources be used to rescue those stranded. The Babusar Highway is closed at multiple points, with roads and farmland severely damaged.”
According to a spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Mansehra, Amir Khadam Khan, Jalkhad road in Naran was blocked by heavy stones and debris because of the heavy rain in the area.
گلگت میں صورتحال انتہائی خطرناک
چلاس، بابوسر کے مقام پت سیاحوں کی 8 گاڑیاں بہہ گئیں، 4 لاشیں جبکہ 4 سیاح زخمی حالت میں ریسکیو ، 15 سے زائد سیاح لاپتہ ! #GilgitBaltistan #Babusar #Flood #Landsliding #tourists pic.twitter.com/90xzSs62NF— Shehzad Qureshi (@ShehxadGulHasen) July 21, 2025
“According to initial reports, a car is stuck in the debris,” Khan said. “Fortunately, no loss of life or property has been reported so far.”
The National Highways Authority (NHA) mobilised heavy machinery from nearby areas to begin clearing the road and restoring traffic flow.
Earlier, on June 29, the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority had issued a warning about the heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and flash floods.
The public and tourists were advised to stay away from rivers, streams, and other water bodies, and to avoid bathing or washing clothes in streams due to the potential for dangerously high-water levels.
Pakistan Met Office forecasts more rain
Meanwhile, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread rain-thundershowers from today (Monday) in Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, upper Punjab, Potohar region, Gilgit-Baltistan, and northeastern and southern Balochistan.
The PMD also warned that there is a risk of flooding in local and seasonal streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galiat, Nowshera, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, northeast Punjab, Kashmir and Balochistan.
According to PMD, the water level in reservoirs is likely to increase further in the coming days as more rains are predicted between July 21-25, 2025.
So far, 123 people have been killed and 462 injured since June 25 as the province received record rainfall, triggering urban flooding which inundated residential areas, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said last week. Of these, 71 deaths were reported in the past two days alone.
