New Delhi: A historic bridge in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan was destroyed after a glacial outburst in the region. Footage from the scene shared on social media showed how raging floodwaters swept away a section of the Hassanabad bridge in Hunza, stranding thousands of local residents and tourists. The incident took place on Saturday, May 7.
Taking to Twitter, the Gilgit-Baltistan tourist police said traffic had been diverted to an alternate route on the Sas Valley Road. Officials said there was no loss of life.
A dramatic video was also shared on social media, which showed torrents of water hitting the concrete structure of the bridge that collapses moments later. The bridge on the Karakoram Highway was swept away by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from the Shishper Glacier, Dawn reported.
Sharing the video, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman warned that there were many such vulnerable areas in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "Pakistan has the highest number of glaciers outside the polar region and many are losing mass due to high global temperatures," she tweeted.
Quoting Hunza Superintendent of Police (SP) Zahoor Ahmed, a Dawn report said the glacier had started melting Saturday due to heat, causing a flood that eventually brought down the bridge.
He said tourists had been provided alternate routes, adding families living nearby were shifted to safer places. The SP said police were also appointed at various spots to prevent any inconvenience to tourists, and that the entire administration was on alert.
The report said two power plants of Hassanabad were also swept away.
Quoting Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, the report said the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Frontier Works Organisation would repair the bridge as a matter of urgency.