Stranded passengers reach Gilgit
Blocked due to landslides, KKH reopens after two days
A view of the long line of vehicles on Karakoram Highway in Chilas. PHOTO: ONLINE
GILGIT:
After a harrowing ordeal which lasted for almost 24-hours, hundreds of passengers stranded in Chilas town reached Gilgit after the strategic Karakoram Highway (KKH) was opened for traffic on Saturday.
The highway had been blocked on Thursday by landslides - triggered by heavy rains - at three different locations between Gilgit and Chilas. As a result, hundreds of passengers, including 145 foreigners, were stranded.
According to officials in Chilas, the foreigners stuck up in the town included 139 Thai nationals, two Australians, two Swiss and one each from Malaysia and Singapore.
Hundreds of passengers stranded in G-B
These visitors were being provided security by heavy contingents of police and other law enforcement agencies throughout the night.
“They were escorted to Gilgit today after the road was reopened for traffic,” said Muhammad Tariq, an additional deputy commissioner in Chilas, the headquarters of Diamer district.The tourists were provided stringent security during their overnight stay in Chilas, which is located around 40 kilometres from Nanga Parbat – the second highest peak of Pakistan where 10 foreign mountaineers were massacred by militants wearing police uniforms in 2013.
“We had provided the tourists with foolproof security during their stay and also for their departure towards Gilgit,” Tariq told The Express Tribune on Saturday. Earlier on Friday, authorities had provided the stranded passengers with food and other necessities.
Over 50 people airlifted to safety from G-B
“The landslides have played havoc with the highway,” said a passenger after reaching Gilgit. He lauded the efforts of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for clearing the KKH, which is the only highway linking G-B with the rest of the country. “The FWO authorities did well to open the highway, even though there was a risk of more landslides rolling down.”
G-B received snowfall and rains over the past two days during a spell described as unusual by scientists monitoring climate change and its impact.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2017.
After a harrowing ordeal which lasted for almost 24-hours, hundreds of passengers stranded in Chilas town reached Gilgit after the strategic Karakoram Highway (KKH) was opened for traffic on Saturday.
The highway had been blocked on Thursday by landslides - triggered by heavy rains - at three different locations between Gilgit and Chilas. As a result, hundreds of passengers, including 145 foreigners, were stranded.
According to officials in Chilas, the foreigners stuck up in the town included 139 Thai nationals, two Australians, two Swiss and one each from Malaysia and Singapore.
Hundreds of passengers stranded in G-B
These visitors were being provided security by heavy contingents of police and other law enforcement agencies throughout the night.
“They were escorted to Gilgit today after the road was reopened for traffic,” said Muhammad Tariq, an additional deputy commissioner in Chilas, the headquarters of Diamer district.The tourists were provided stringent security during their overnight stay in Chilas, which is located around 40 kilometres from Nanga Parbat – the second highest peak of Pakistan where 10 foreign mountaineers were massacred by militants wearing police uniforms in 2013.
“We had provided the tourists with foolproof security during their stay and also for their departure towards Gilgit,” Tariq told The Express Tribune on Saturday. Earlier on Friday, authorities had provided the stranded passengers with food and other necessities.
Over 50 people airlifted to safety from G-B
“The landslides have played havoc with the highway,” said a passenger after reaching Gilgit. He lauded the efforts of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for clearing the KKH, which is the only highway linking G-B with the rest of the country. “The FWO authorities did well to open the highway, even though there was a risk of more landslides rolling down.”
G-B received snowfall and rains over the past two days during a spell described as unusual by scientists monitoring climate change and its impact.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2017.