Upper Kohistan: In a tragic incident early Monday morning, three people, including two army officials, lost their lives when a landslide struck a passenger bus on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kohistan’s Dasu area. Another passenger sustained injuries in the incident.
The bus, operated by the Northern Areas Transport Corporation, was en route to Hunza when it was hit by large boulders, according to Upper Kohistan District Police Officer (DPO) Mukhtiar Ahmad.
The deceased have been identified as Imtiaz Hussain, a resident of Gilgit, and Sangal Hussain, son of Nazir Khan from Yasin, Ghizer, Gilgit, both serving in the army. The third victim, Sultan Mehmood, was the son of Abdul Hafeez and hailed from Rawalpindi. The injured passenger, Dilshad Qamar, son of Shams ul Qamar, is also a resident of Rawalpindi.
The victims were transported to the District Headquarters Hospital in Dasu for post-mortem and medical care.
The landslide occurred following heavy rainfall on Sunday night, which caused blockages at several locations along the KKH between Bisham and Diamer, leaving many travelers stranded. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Abdur Rehman noted that the downpour severely disrupted travel for those journeying to and from Islamabad.
In response to the situation, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a weather advisory on Monday, warning of continued rainfall across various parts of the province. The PDMA cautioned that the rain could trigger further landslides, raise water levels in rivers and streams, and potentially lead to urban flooding and strong winds.
The public has been advised to avoid unnecessary travel, especially to mountainous areas in the north, and to take precautions during adverse weather conditions.
This incident follows another tragic event last Friday, where 12 members of a family were killed in Upper Dir’s Maidan tehsil when the roof of their mud house collapsed due to heavy rain.
