Naran avalanche damages eight hotels

Road to Saiful Malook Lake closed at multiple locations

BALAKOT:

 

More than eight hotels were damaged after a massive glacier skidded onto the road near the famous Saiful Malook Lake, as more details of the avalanche in the hill resort of Naran, in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emerged on Friday, officials at the Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) said.

They said that the Jheel Road, which leads from Naran to the fabled lake, was closed at four places, while there was a high risk of further avalanches. Though the reports from the area were sketchy, initial estimates of the damages suggest that at least eight hotels sustained damage.

Naran in the upper Kaghan Valley is one of the most popular tourist attractions locally as well as internationally. It is the most visited valley in Pakistan in the summer season. The area becomes almost empty in winters because of severe cold, road closures and snowfall.

On Thursday, the KDA officials had said that several hotels were buried under the avalanche because of the collapse of Ghamla and Chapran glaciers on Jheel Road. They added that a team had been formed to get the initial assessment of the damage and report back.

“According to preliminary reports, around eight hotels and nearby structures along the streams are damaged after the glacier fell on Lake Saiful Muluk Road yesterday [Thursday],” a KDA officials told The Express Tribune. “However, the Naran Bazaar is safe,” he added.

The officials said that it was difficult to get the exact damage assessment because of a lack of access to the area as the Kaghan highway was closed for the past five months because of winter snow. The road was expected to open next month after snow melting.

Glacier collapse is common in the Kaghan Valley in the winters. In the current year, the valley received record snowfall. As a result, according to the officials, the grounds of Naran were still under three feet of snow, while its surrounding mountains were covered in up to five feet of white.

The tourism season in Naran continues from April till September-October. After the season ends, the population of Naran moves to the lower areas, and no tourists or individuals stayed behind in the valley. Therefore, there was no report of human casualties in the avalanche.

“The recent inclement weather conditions have triggered more avalanches,” KDA Director General Shabir Khan said. However, Khan emphasised that there was no emergency situation in the valley that could cause distress. The officials said that there was no need, so far, to mount a rescue operation there.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)