11 killed in G-B’s Astore avalanche

At least 11 people were killed while 13 others were injured in an avalanche on Shounter Top in Astore district of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Saturday.

According to the G-B Disaster Management Authority reports, the incident occurred at 4am on Saturday when people belonging to the Gujjar community were coming from Kashmir towards Astore.

Of the 11 people who died in the incident, the G-B DMA said, the bodies of eight had been recovered while search for the rest was ongoing.

It added that 12 of the injured, who had been shifted to District Headquarter Hospital Astore for treatment, were in critical condition.

Read: India bolsters search for 20 still missing after avalanche

A control room has been set up in the district to facilitate the rescue operation and recover the people trapped under the debris. Officials said that those who were affected in the incident were nomads.

“Heli service of the Force Command Northern Areas has been procured for the rescue operation, which could not be started due to bad weather,” the G-B DMA added.

An emergency has also been declared at the hospitals of Gilgit, Astore and Skardu.

G-B Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives, directing the authorities "to provide all possible help to the affected people".

In January, at least four people were killed in an avalanche in Asheri Darra area of the mountainous Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, local residents said.

Residents of the area told The Express Tribune that four people, including a man and his son, were killed in the avalanche when they were chopping a fallen tree.

“They were buried in the snow and all of them died due to cold," a resident told The Express Tribune.

"In the morning, locals were informed that four people who went to the mountain last evening, were missing so they started a search for them along with Rescue 1122 and police,” he added.