10 killed, 10 injured as avalanche hits northern Pakistan

May 29

Ten people were killed and ten others injured when an avalanche hit a convoy of nomads in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Saturday, an official confirmed.

Scores of people were feared to be trapped under the debris and the rescue teams were trying to recover them despite challenges posed by bad weather and poor road infrastructure in the far-flung area of Astore district where the incident happened, Chief Secretary of GB Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani said.

He said the nomads were reaching Astore from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir with their cattle to find grazing fields.

The injured people including women and children had been shifted to a nearby hospital, with several of them in critical condition, he said.

The avalanche was triggered by heavy rains lashing the area for the past three days, the chief secretary said.

xinhua